Brief communication: A framework to classify glaciers for water resource evaluation and management in the Southern Andes

Over the last 2 decades the importance of Andean glaciers, particularly as water resources, has been recognized in both scientific literature and the public sphere. This has led to the inclusion of glaciers in the environmental impact assessment and the development of glacier protection laws in both...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The cryosphere 2022-05, Vol.16 (5), p.1779-1791
Main Authors: Schaffer, Nicole, MacDonell, Shelley
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aquatic resources
Climate change
Communication
Environmental aspects
Environmental changes
Environmental impact
Environmental impact assessment
Evaluation
Glaciers
Laws, regulations and rules
Management
Precipitation
Protection
Resource evaluation
Stream flow
Water
Water management
Water resources
Water resources management
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Summary:Over the last 2 decades the importance of Andean glaciers, particularly as water resources, has been recognized in both scientific literature and the public sphere. This has led to the inclusion of glaciers in the environmental impact assessment and the development of glacier protection laws in both Chile and Argentina. However, these laws are limited in their ability to protect, manage, and monitor water resources as they do not differentiate between glacier types. We propose three glacier categories that aim to group glaciers based on their sensitivity to environmental changes as a framework that could be adopted to match the level of protection to the current and future needs of society, be region-specific, and evolve through time. Finally, we review both national inventories with respect to this classification to facilitate the evaluation and/or management of water resources.
ISSN:1994-0424
1994-0416
1994-0424
1994-0416
DOI:10.5194/tc-16-1779-2022