Understanding Global Climate Change from Andean Glaciers

[...]of anthropogenic global warming, the interior tropical Andes are experiencing an increase in temperature and higher precipitation variability. Quito counts on glacial sources for five to ten percent of the city's water supply and will suffer less from glacier retreat than a city like La Pa...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:ReVista (Cambridge, Mass.) Mass.), 2018-04, Vol.17 (3), p.42-82
Main Authors: Beeman, Jai C, Hernández, Jean Carlos Ruiz
Format: Magazinearticle
Language:English
Subjects:
Archives & records
Cities
Climate change
Glaciers
Precipitation
Water shortages
Water supply
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:[...]of anthropogenic global warming, the interior tropical Andes are experiencing an increase in temperature and higher precipitation variability. Quito counts on glacial sources for five to ten percent of the city's water supply and will suffer less from glacier retreat than a city like La Paz, for example, where glaciers provide up to 30 percent of the dry season water source. Rather, feedbacks in the climate system: greenhouse gases, which re-emit radiation in the form of heat, and ice loss at the polar caps, which increases the amount of radiation the Earth system can retain, for example, can accelerate warming over thousands of years. The story is well known: the Industrial Revolution introduced greenhouse gas emissions into the climate system, provoking rising temperatures and a corresponding change in weather patterns. Quito counts on glacial sources for five to ten percent of the city's water supply and will suffer less from glacier retreat than a city like La Paz, for example, where glaciers provide up to 30 percent of the dry season water source.
ISSN:1541-1443
1541-1451