An unseasonal atmospheric river drives anomalous summer snow accumulation on glaciers of the subtropical Andes

Autores
Bravo, Claudio; Cisternas, Sebastián; Viale, Maximiliano; Paredes, Pablo; Bozkurt, Deniz; García Lee, Nicolás
Año de publicación
2025
Idioma
inglés
Tipo de recurso
artículo
Estado
versión publicada
Descripción
Climate change is associated with changes in the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events. Extreme weather is impacting the mass balance of Andean glaciers, a phenomenon that requires further detailed investigation. Among these extreme events, atmospheric rivers (ARs) play a significant role, potentially leading to either accumulation or melting events on glaciers. To assess the impact of ARs on Andean glaciers, we analysed an unseasonal event that occurred at the end of January 2021 – marked by extreme snowfall in the highlands and heavy rainfall, landslides and flash floods in the lowlands – during the typically dry austral summer period. Satellite imagery and meteorological observations in the glaciated Maipo River basin and its Olivares River sub-basin (33° S) enabled the characterisation of this event and its basin-scale impacts. Moreover, a glacier mass balance model allows us to quantify the effects of the AR on the Olivares Alfa Glacier (4284 to 4988 m a.s.l.) in the context of the preceding 6 hydrological years. The large water vapour transport by the AR led to substantial snow accumulation on the Maipo River glaciers, resulting in a post-event snow line observed at 2463 m a.s.l. In the Olivares River sub-basin, the 0 °C isotherm dropped from typical summertime altitudes of 4000–4500 m a.s.l. to 3250 m a.s.l. during the event, below the frontal zone of all glaciers in this sub-basin. The mass balance model for the Olivares Alfa Glacier during the dry 2020–2021 hydrological year showed a trend toward negative values at the beginning of the ablation season, aligned with previous years and the prevailing severe drought conditions. However, the AR snowfall event, combined with cooler conditions and other small accumulation events during the remainder of the ablation season compared to previous years, offset this trend and brought the mass balance closer to equilibrium. This demonstrates that an unseasonal snow accumulation event can significantly counteract the broader seasonal trends affecting subtropical Andean glaciers. Our study sheds light on the impacts of extreme and unseasonal snow accumulation events on glacier mass balance in the high Andes, particularly those associated with ARs, a synoptic feature projected to become more common in a warming climate.
Fil: Bravo, Claudio. Centro de Estudios Científicos; Chile
Fil: Cisternas, Sebastián. University of Leeds; Reino Unido
Fil: Viale, Maximiliano. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales. Provincia de Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales; Argentina
Fil: Paredes, Pablo. Universidad Austral de Chile; Chile
Fil: Bozkurt, Deniz. Universidad de Valparaíso; Chile. Universidad de Concepción; Chile. Centro de Ciencia del Clima y Resiliencia; Chile
Fil: García Lee, Nicolás. Centro de Estudios Científicos; Chile. Universidad Austral de Chile; Chile
Materia
Glacier
Andes
Extreme Snowfall
Atmospheric River
Nivel de accesibilidad
acceso abierto
Condiciones de uso
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/ar/
Repositorio
CONICET Digital (CONICET)
Institución
Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
OAI Identificador
oai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/291386
Acceder
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oai_identifier_str oai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/291386
network_acronym_str CONICETDig
repository_id_str 3498
network_name_str CONICET Digital (CONICET)
spelling An unseasonal atmospheric river drives anomalous summer snow accumulation on glaciers of the subtropical AndesBravo, ClaudioCisternas, SebastiánViale, MaximilianoParedes, PabloBozkurt, DenizGarcía Lee, NicolásGlacierAndesExtreme SnowfallAtmospheric Riverhttps://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.5https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1Climate change is associated with changes in the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events. Extreme weather is impacting the mass balance of Andean glaciers, a phenomenon that requires further detailed investigation. Among these extreme events, atmospheric rivers (ARs) play a significant role, potentially leading to either accumulation or melting events on glaciers. To assess the impact of ARs on Andean glaciers, we analysed an unseasonal event that occurred at the end of January 2021 – marked by extreme snowfall in the highlands and heavy rainfall, landslides and flash floods in the lowlands – during the typically dry austral summer period. Satellite imagery and meteorological observations in the glaciated Maipo River basin and its Olivares River sub-basin (33° S) enabled the characterisation of this event and its basin-scale impacts. Moreover, a glacier mass balance model allows us to quantify the effects of the AR on the Olivares Alfa Glacier (4284 to 4988 m a.s.l.) in the context of the preceding 6 hydrological years. The large water vapour transport by the AR led to substantial snow accumulation on the Maipo River glaciers, resulting in a post-event snow line observed at 2463 m a.s.l. In the Olivares River sub-basin, the 0 °C isotherm dropped from typical summertime altitudes of 4000–4500 m a.s.l. to 3250 m a.s.l. during the event, below the frontal zone of all glaciers in this sub-basin. The mass balance model for the Olivares Alfa Glacier during the dry 2020–2021 hydrological year showed a trend toward negative values at the beginning of the ablation season, aligned with previous years and the prevailing severe drought conditions. However, the AR snowfall event, combined with cooler conditions and other small accumulation events during the remainder of the ablation season compared to previous years, offset this trend and brought the mass balance closer to equilibrium. This demonstrates that an unseasonal snow accumulation event can significantly counteract the broader seasonal trends affecting subtropical Andean glaciers. Our study sheds light on the impacts of extreme and unseasonal snow accumulation events on glacier mass balance in the high Andes, particularly those associated with ARs, a synoptic feature projected to become more common in a warming climate.Fil: Bravo, Claudio. Centro de Estudios Científicos; ChileFil: Cisternas, Sebastián. University of Leeds; Reino UnidoFil: Viale, Maximiliano. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales. Provincia de Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales; ArgentinaFil: Paredes, Pablo. Universidad Austral de Chile; ChileFil: Bozkurt, Deniz. Universidad de Valparaíso; Chile. Universidad de Concepción; Chile. Centro de Ciencia del Clima y Resiliencia; ChileFil: García Lee, Nicolás. Centro de Estudios Científicos; Chile. Universidad Austral de Chile; ChileCopernicus Publications2025-05-19info:eu-repo/semantics/articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersionhttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501info:ar-repo/semantics/articuloapplication/pdfapplication/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/11336/291386Bravo, Claudio; Cisternas, Sebastián; Viale, Maximiliano; Paredes, Pablo; Bozkurt, Deniz; et al.; An unseasonal atmospheric river drives anomalous summer snow accumulation on glaciers of the subtropical Andes; Copernicus Publications; The Cryosphere; 19; 5; 19-5-2025; 1897-19131994-0424CONICET DigitalCONICETenginfo:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/url/https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/19/1897/2025/info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.5194/tc-19-1897-2025info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccesshttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/ar/reponame:CONICET Digital (CONICET)instname:Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas2026-08-25T14:48:04Zoai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/291386instacron:CONICETInstitucionalhttp://ri.conicet.gov.ar/Organismo científico-tecnológicoNo correspondehttp://ri.conicet.gov.ar/oai/requestdasensio@conicet.gov.ar; lcarlino@conicet.gov.arArgentinaNo correspondeNo correspondeNo correspondeopendoar:34982026-08-25 14:48:04.727CONICET Digital (CONICET) - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicasfalse
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv An unseasonal atmospheric river drives anomalous summer snow accumulation on glaciers of the subtropical Andes
title An unseasonal atmospheric river drives anomalous summer snow accumulation on glaciers of the subtropical Andes
spellingShingle An unseasonal atmospheric river drives anomalous summer snow accumulation on glaciers of the subtropical Andes
Bravo, Claudio
Glacier
Andes
Extreme Snowfall
Atmospheric River
title_short An unseasonal atmospheric river drives anomalous summer snow accumulation on glaciers of the subtropical Andes
title_full An unseasonal atmospheric river drives anomalous summer snow accumulation on glaciers of the subtropical Andes
title_fullStr An unseasonal atmospheric river drives anomalous summer snow accumulation on glaciers of the subtropical Andes
title_full_unstemmed An unseasonal atmospheric river drives anomalous summer snow accumulation on glaciers of the subtropical Andes
title_sort An unseasonal atmospheric river drives anomalous summer snow accumulation on glaciers of the subtropical Andes
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Bravo, Claudio
Cisternas, Sebastián
Viale, Maximiliano
Paredes, Pablo
Bozkurt, Deniz
García Lee, Nicolás
author Bravo, Claudio
author_facet Bravo, Claudio
Cisternas, Sebastián
Viale, Maximiliano
Paredes, Pablo
Bozkurt, Deniz
García Lee, Nicolás
author_role author
author2 Cisternas, Sebastián
Viale, Maximiliano
Paredes, Pablo
Bozkurt, Deniz
García Lee, Nicolás
author2_role author
author
author
author
author
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv Glacier
Andes
Extreme Snowfall
Atmospheric River
topic Glacier
Andes
Extreme Snowfall
Atmospheric River
purl_subject.fl_str_mv https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.5
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1
dc.description.none.fl_txt_mv Climate change is associated with changes in the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events. Extreme weather is impacting the mass balance of Andean glaciers, a phenomenon that requires further detailed investigation. Among these extreme events, atmospheric rivers (ARs) play a significant role, potentially leading to either accumulation or melting events on glaciers. To assess the impact of ARs on Andean glaciers, we analysed an unseasonal event that occurred at the end of January 2021 – marked by extreme snowfall in the highlands and heavy rainfall, landslides and flash floods in the lowlands – during the typically dry austral summer period. Satellite imagery and meteorological observations in the glaciated Maipo River basin and its Olivares River sub-basin (33° S) enabled the characterisation of this event and its basin-scale impacts. Moreover, a glacier mass balance model allows us to quantify the effects of the AR on the Olivares Alfa Glacier (4284 to 4988 m a.s.l.) in the context of the preceding 6 hydrological years. The large water vapour transport by the AR led to substantial snow accumulation on the Maipo River glaciers, resulting in a post-event snow line observed at 2463 m a.s.l. In the Olivares River sub-basin, the 0 °C isotherm dropped from typical summertime altitudes of 4000–4500 m a.s.l. to 3250 m a.s.l. during the event, below the frontal zone of all glaciers in this sub-basin. The mass balance model for the Olivares Alfa Glacier during the dry 2020–2021 hydrological year showed a trend toward negative values at the beginning of the ablation season, aligned with previous years and the prevailing severe drought conditions. However, the AR snowfall event, combined with cooler conditions and other small accumulation events during the remainder of the ablation season compared to previous years, offset this trend and brought the mass balance closer to equilibrium. This demonstrates that an unseasonal snow accumulation event can significantly counteract the broader seasonal trends affecting subtropical Andean glaciers. Our study sheds light on the impacts of extreme and unseasonal snow accumulation events on glacier mass balance in the high Andes, particularly those associated with ARs, a synoptic feature projected to become more common in a warming climate.
Fil: Bravo, Claudio. Centro de Estudios Científicos; Chile
Fil: Cisternas, Sebastián. University of Leeds; Reino Unido
Fil: Viale, Maximiliano. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales. Provincia de Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales; Argentina
Fil: Paredes, Pablo. Universidad Austral de Chile; Chile
Fil: Bozkurt, Deniz. Universidad de Valparaíso; Chile. Universidad de Concepción; Chile. Centro de Ciencia del Clima y Resiliencia; Chile
Fil: García Lee, Nicolás. Centro de Estudios Científicos; Chile. Universidad Austral de Chile; Chile
description Climate change is associated with changes in the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events. Extreme weather is impacting the mass balance of Andean glaciers, a phenomenon that requires further detailed investigation. Among these extreme events, atmospheric rivers (ARs) play a significant role, potentially leading to either accumulation or melting events on glaciers. To assess the impact of ARs on Andean glaciers, we analysed an unseasonal event that occurred at the end of January 2021 – marked by extreme snowfall in the highlands and heavy rainfall, landslides and flash floods in the lowlands – during the typically dry austral summer period. Satellite imagery and meteorological observations in the glaciated Maipo River basin and its Olivares River sub-basin (33° S) enabled the characterisation of this event and its basin-scale impacts. Moreover, a glacier mass balance model allows us to quantify the effects of the AR on the Olivares Alfa Glacier (4284 to 4988 m a.s.l.) in the context of the preceding 6 hydrological years. The large water vapour transport by the AR led to substantial snow accumulation on the Maipo River glaciers, resulting in a post-event snow line observed at 2463 m a.s.l. In the Olivares River sub-basin, the 0 °C isotherm dropped from typical summertime altitudes of 4000–4500 m a.s.l. to 3250 m a.s.l. during the event, below the frontal zone of all glaciers in this sub-basin. The mass balance model for the Olivares Alfa Glacier during the dry 2020–2021 hydrological year showed a trend toward negative values at the beginning of the ablation season, aligned with previous years and the prevailing severe drought conditions. However, the AR snowfall event, combined with cooler conditions and other small accumulation events during the remainder of the ablation season compared to previous years, offset this trend and brought the mass balance closer to equilibrium. This demonstrates that an unseasonal snow accumulation event can significantly counteract the broader seasonal trends affecting subtropical Andean glaciers. Our study sheds light on the impacts of extreme and unseasonal snow accumulation events on glacier mass balance in the high Andes, particularly those associated with ARs, a synoptic feature projected to become more common in a warming climate.
publishDate 2025
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2025-05-19
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501
info:ar-repo/semantics/articulo
format article
status_str publishedVersion
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv http://hdl.handle.net/11336/291386
Bravo, Claudio; Cisternas, Sebastián; Viale, Maximiliano; Paredes, Pablo; Bozkurt, Deniz; et al.; An unseasonal atmospheric river drives anomalous summer snow accumulation on glaciers of the subtropical Andes; Copernicus Publications; The Cryosphere; 19; 5; 19-5-2025; 1897-1913
1994-0424
CONICET Digital
CONICET
url http://hdl.handle.net/11336/291386
identifier_str_mv Bravo, Claudio; Cisternas, Sebastián; Viale, Maximiliano; Paredes, Pablo; Bozkurt, Deniz; et al.; An unseasonal atmospheric river drives anomalous summer snow accumulation on glaciers of the subtropical Andes; Copernicus Publications; The Cryosphere; 19; 5; 19-5-2025; 1897-1913
1994-0424
CONICET Digital
CONICET
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv eng
language eng
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/url/https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/19/1897/2025/
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.5194/tc-19-1897-2025
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/ar/
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
rights_invalid_str_mv https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/ar/
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv application/pdf
application/pdf
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv Copernicus Publications
publisher.none.fl_str_mv Copernicus Publications
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv reponame:CONICET Digital (CONICET)
instname:Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
reponame_str CONICET Digital (CONICET)
collection CONICET Digital (CONICET)
instname_str Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
repository.name.fl_str_mv CONICET Digital (CONICET) - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
repository.mail.fl_str_mv dasensio@conicet.gov.ar; lcarlino@conicet.gov.ar
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score 13.24418

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