scholarly journals Improved estimates of glacier change rates at Nevado Coropuna Ice Cap, Peru

2018 ◽  
Vol 64 (244) ◽  
pp. 175-184 ◽  
Author(s):  
WILLIAM H. KOCHTITZKY ◽  
BENJAMIN R. EDWARDS ◽  
ELLYN M. ENDERLIN ◽  
JERSY MARINO ◽  
NELIDA MARINQUE
Keyword(s):  
Water Resources ◽  
Rate Of Change ◽  
Landsat Images ◽  
Tropical Regions ◽  
Tropical Glaciers ◽  
Ice Cap ◽  
Glacier Recession ◽  
Present Rate ◽  
The Tropics ◽  
Accurate Quantification

ABSTRACTAccurate quantification of rates of glacier mass loss is critical for managing water resources and for assessing hazards at ice-clad volcanoes, especially in arid regions like southern Peru. In these regions, glacier and snow melt are crucial dry season water resources. In order to verify previously reported rates of ice area decline at Nevado Coropuna in Peru, which are anomalously rapid for tropical glaciers, we measured changes in ice cap area using 259 Landsat images acquired from 1980 to 2014. We find that Coropuna Ice Cap is presently the most extensive ice mass in the tropics, with an area of 44.1 km2, and has been shrinking at an average area loss rate of 0.409 km2a−1(~0.71% a−1) since 1980. Our estimated rate of change is considerably lower than previous studies (1.4 km2a−1or ~2.43% a−1), but is consistent with other tropical regions, such as the Cordillera Blanca located ~850 km to the NW (~0.68% a−1). Thus, if glacier recession continues at its present rate, our results suggest that Coropuna Ice Cap will likely continue to contribute to water supply for agricultural and domestic uses until ~2120, which is nearly 100 years longer than previously predicted.

scholarly journals Holocene glaciation in the Rwenzori Mountains, Uganda

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margaret S. Jackson ◽  
Meredith A. Kelly ◽  
James M. Russell ◽  
Alice M. Doughty ◽  
Jennifer A. Howley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Late Holocene ◽  
Early Holocene ◽  
Future Climate Change ◽  
Rwenzori Mountains ◽  
Tropical Regions ◽  
Temperature Changes ◽  
Tropical Glaciers ◽  
Low Latitudes ◽  
The Tropics ◽  
Exposure Ages

Abstract. Tropical glaciers are retreating rapidly, threatening alpine ecosystems across the low latitudes. Understanding how tropical glaciers responded to past periods of warming is crucial for predicting and adapting to future climate change, yet relatively little is known about glacial fluctuations in tropical regions during the recent past (i.e., the Holocene Epoch). This is particularly true in the African tropics, where data constraining the timing and magnitude of Holocene glacial fluctuations in the region are sparse and where temperatures during the middle Holocene were perhaps as warm as or warmer than today. Here we present new beryllium-10 surface-exposure ages that constrain Holocene glacial extents in the equatorial Rwenzori Mountains, Uganda. These results document rapid Early Holocene (~11.7–8.2 ka) glacial retreat in two separate catchments and indicate that Late Holocene (~4.2 ka-present) deposits mark the greatest expansion of Rwenzori glaciers during the last ~11 ka. Holocene glacial fluctuations elsewhere in tropical Africa and in tropical South America are broadly similar to those in the Rwenzori, with most tropical glaciers retreating rapidly during the Early Holocene and remaining near or inboard of their Late Holocene positions through much of Holocene time. The similarity of Holocene glacial fluctuations across the tropics implies that low-latitude glaciers responded to a common forcing mechanism, most likely temperature. Although the drivers of Holocene temperature changes in the tropics remains enigmatic, these data help constrain the expression of tropical temperature changes in the low latitudes.

Similar Holocene glaciation histories in tropical South America and Africa

Geology ◽  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony C. Vickers ◽  
Jeremy D. Shakun ◽  
Brent M. Goehring ◽  
Andrew Gorin, ◽  
Meredith A. Kelly ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South America ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Past Century ◽  
Tropical Glaciers ◽  
The Past ◽  
Ice Cap ◽  
Ice Retreat ◽  
Quelccaya Ice Cap ◽  
The Tropics

Tropical glaciers have retreated alongside warming temperatures over the past century, yet the way in which these trends fit into a long-term geological context is largely unclear. Here, we present reconstructions of Holocene glacier extents relative to today from the Quelccaya ice cap (Peru) and the Rwenzori Mountains (Uganda) based on measurements of in situ14C and 10Be from recently exposed bedrock. Ice-extent histories are similar at both sites and suggest that ice was generally smaller than today during the first half of the Holocene and larger than today for most, if not all, of the past several millennia. The similar glaciation history in South America and Africa suggests that large-scale warming followed by cooling of the tropics during the late Holocene primarily drove ice extent, rather than regional changes in precipitation. Our results also imply that recent tropical ice retreat is anomalous in a multimillennial context.

Twelfth Century AD

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lonnie G. Thompson ◽  
Alan L. Kolata
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Southern Oscillation ◽  
Sediment Cores ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Lake Titicaca ◽  
Independent Evidence ◽  
Tropical Regions ◽  
Ice Cap ◽  
Paleoclimate Records ◽  
Past Climate Change

Climate is a fundamental and independent variable of human existence. Given that 50 percent of the Earth’s surface and much of its population exist between 30oN and 30oS, paleoenvironmental research in the Earth’s tropical regions is vital to our understanding of the world’s current and past climate change. Most of the solar energy that drives the climate system is absorbed in these regions. Paleoclimate records reveal that tropical processes, such as variations in the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), have affected the climate over much of the planet. Climatic variations, particularly in precipitation and temperature, play a critical role in the adaptations of agrarian cultures located in zones of environmental sensitivity, such as those of the coastal deserts, highlands, and altiplano of the Andean region. Paleoclimate records from the Quelccaya ice cap (5670 masl) in highland Peru that extend back ~1800 years show good correlation between precipitation and the rise and fall of pre-Hispanic civilizations in western Peru and Bolivia. Sediment cores extracted from Lake Titicaca provide independent evidence of this correspondence with particular reference to the history of the pre-Hispanic Tiwanaku state centered in the Andean altiplano. Here we explore, in particular, the impacts of climate change on the development and ultimate dissolution of this altiplano state.

scholarly journals Dipole patterns in tropical precipitation were pervasive across landmasses throughout Marine Isotope Stage 5

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Katrina Nilsson-Kerr ◽  
Pallavi Anand ◽  
Philip B. Holden ◽  
Steven C. Clemens ◽  
Melanie J. Leng
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Marine Isotope Stage ◽  
Convergence Zone ◽  
Inter Tropical Convergence Zone ◽  
Tropical Regions ◽  
Tropical Precipitation ◽  
Rainfall Patterns ◽  
Marine Isotope Stage 5 ◽  
Climate Cooling ◽  
The Tropics

AbstractMost of Earth’s rain falls in the tropics, often in highly seasonal monsoon rains, which are thought to be coupled to the inter-hemispheric migrations of the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone in response to the seasonal cycle of insolation. Yet characterization of tropical rainfall behaviour in the geologic past is poor. Here we combine new and existing hydroclimate records from six large-scale tropical regions with fully independent model-based rainfall reconstructions across the last interval of sustained warmth and ensuing climate cooling between 130 to 70 thousand years ago (Marine Isotope Stage 5). Our data-model approach reveals large-scale heterogeneous rainfall patterns in response to changes in climate. We note pervasive dipole-like tropical precipitation patterns, as well as different loci of precipitation throughout Marine Isotope Stage 5 than recorded in the Holocene. These rainfall patterns cannot be solely attributed to meridional shifts in the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone.

scholarly journals Evaluating the role of contracting and expanding rainforest in initiating cycles of speciation across the Isthmus of Panama

2012 ◽  
Vol 279 (1742) ◽  
pp. 3520-3526 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian Tilston Smith ◽  
Amei Amei ◽  
John Klicka
Keyword(s):  
Bird Species ◽  
Tropical Regions ◽  
Isthmus Of Panama ◽  
Species Pairs ◽  
The Matrix ◽  
High Species Richness ◽  
The Rich ◽  
The Tropics ◽  
The Impact

Climatic and geological changes across time are presumed to have shaped the rich biodiversity of tropical regions. However, the impact climatic drying and subsequent tropical rainforest contraction had on speciation has been controversial because of inconsistent palaeoecological and genetic data. Despite the strong interest in examining the role of climatic change on speciation in the Neotropics there has been few comparative studies, particularly, those that include non-rainforest taxa. We used bird species that inhabit humid or dry habitats that dispersed across the Panamanian Isthmus to characterize temporal and spatial patterns of speciation across this barrier. Here, we show that these two assemblages of birds exhibit temporally different speciation time patterns that supports multiple cycles of speciation. Evidence for these cycles is further corroborated by the finding that both assemblages consist of ‘young’ and ‘old’ species, despite dry habitat species pairs being geographically more distant than pairs of humid habitat species. The matrix of humid and dry habitats in the tropics not only allows for the maintenance of high species richness, but additionally this study suggests that these environments may have promoted speciation. We conclude that differentially expanding and contracting distributions of dry and humid habitats was probably an important contributor to speciation in the tropics.

scholarly journals Impact of dams and irrigation schemes in Anopheline (Diptera: Culicidae) bionomics and malaria epidemiology

2012 ◽  
Vol 54 (4) ◽  
pp. 179-191 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jordi Sanchez-Ribas ◽  
Gabriel Parra-Henao ◽  
Anthony Érico Guimarães
Keyword(s):  
Control Measures ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Irrigation Scheme ◽  
Tropical Regions ◽  
Malaria Epidemiology ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
The Tropics ◽  
And Control ◽  
Anopheline Mosquitoes

Irrigation schemes and dams have posed a great concern on public health systems of several countries, mainly in the tropics. The focus of the present review is to elucidate the different ways how these human interventions may have an effect on population dynamics of anopheline mosquitoes and hence, how local malaria transmission patterns may be changed. We discuss different studies within the three main tropical and sub-tropical regions (namely Africa, Asia and the Pacific and the Americas). Factors such as pre-human impact malaria epidemiological patterns, control measures, demographic movements, human behaviour and local Anopheles bionomics would determine if the implementation of an irrigation scheme or a dam will have negative effects on human health. Some examples of successful implementation of control measures in such settings are presented. The use of Geographic Information System as a powerful tool to assist on the study and control of malaria in these scenarios is also highlighted.

scholarly journals Breeding Temperate Japonica Rice Varieties Adaptable to Tropical Regions: Progress and Prospects

Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 2253
Author(s):  
Myrish Pacleb ◽  
O-Young Jeong ◽  
Jeom-Sig Lee ◽  
Thelma Padolina ◽  
Rustum Braceros ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
The Philippines ◽  
Tropical Region ◽  
Japonica Rice ◽  
Rice Varieties ◽  
Temperate Japonica ◽  
Tropical Regions ◽  
Tropical Environments ◽  
Increasing Demand ◽  
Northeast Asian ◽  
The Tropics

Temperate japonica rice is mainly cultivated in temperate regions. Many temperate japonica varieties have a superior grain quality that is preferred in Northeast Asian countries such as Japan, Korea, and China. The changes in consumers’ preferences in Southeast Asia and Western countries has contributed to increasing the demand for temperate japonica. Most temperate japonica varieties developed in temperate regions typically exhibit extra-early flowering under the short-day conditions in the tropics, which usually results in severely reduced yields. Since 1992, we have been developing temperate japonica varieties that can adapt to tropical environments to meet the increasing demand for temperate japonica rice, having released six varieties in the Philippines. Especially, the yield of one of the temperate japonica varieties, Japonica 7, was comparable to the yields of leading indica varieties in the Philippines. Here, we discuss the current breeding initiatives and future plans for the development of tropical-region-bred temperate japonica rice.

scholarly journals Analysis of rain fade slope for terrestrial links

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 896
Author(s):  
Jalel Chebil ◽  
Al-Hareth Zyoud ◽  
Mohamed Hadi Habaebi ◽  
Islam Md. Rafiqul ◽  
Hassan Dao
Keyword(s):  
Standard Deviation ◽  
Prediction Model ◽  
Rain Attenuation ◽  
Measured Data ◽  
Rate Of Change ◽  
Tropical Regions

<p><span>Rainfall can cause severe degradation to the operation of microwave links working with frequencies above 10 GHz. Many studies have investigated this problem, and one of the factors that attract the attention of researcher is rain fade slope which is the rate of change of rain attenuation.</span><span> The focus of this study is on rain fade slope for terrestrial links and it is </span><span>based on measurement conducted in Malaysia</span><span>.</span><span> This paper investigates the characteristics of the measured rain fade slope distribution </span><span>for various attenuation levels</span><span>. Then, </span><span>the ITU-R model for rain fade slope is compared with the corresponding statistics obtained from the measured data. Significant discrepancies have been observed since the ITU-R prediction model does not fit the measured fade slope distribution for many attenuation levels. It is recommended to modify the expression of the standard deviation in the ITU-R model when implemented in tropical regions.</span></p>

An improvement to the ANN-enhanced flow rating method

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernhard Schmid
Keyword(s):  
Neural Network ◽  
Electrical Conductivity ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
Flow Rate ◽  
Major Ions ◽  
Rate Of Change ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Input Variables ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship

&lt;p&gt;The work reported here builds upon a previous pilot study by the author on ANN-enhanced flow rating (Schmid, 2020), which explored the use of electrical conductivity (EC) in addition to stage to obtain &amp;#8216;better&amp;#8217;, i.e. more accurate and robust, estimates of streamflow. The inclusion of EC has an advantage, when the relationship of EC versus flow rate is not chemostatic in character. In the majority of cases, EC is, indeed, not chemostatic, but tends to decrease with increasing discharge (so-called dilution behaviour), as reported by e.g. Moatar et al. (2017), Weijs et al. (2013) and Tunqui Neira et al.(2020). This is also in line with this author&amp;#8217;s experience.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The research presented here takes the neural network based approach one major step further and incorporates the temporal rate of change in stage and the direction of change in EC among the input variables (which, thus, comprise stage, EC, change in stage and direction of change in EC). Consequently, there are now 4 input variables in total employed as predictors of flow rate. Information on the temporal changes in both flow rate and EC helps the Artificial Neural Network (ANN) characterize hysteretic behaviour, with EC assuming different values for falling and rising flow rate, respectively, as described, for instance, by Singley et al. (2017).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The ANN employed is of the Multilayer Perceptron (MLP) type, with stage, EC, change in stage and direction of change in EC of the M&amp;#246;dling data set (Schmid, 2020) as input variables. Summarising the stream characteristics, the M&amp;#246;dling brook can be described as a small Austrian stream with a catchment of fairly mixed composition (forests, agricultural and urbanized areas). The relationship of EC versus flow reflects dilution behaviour. Neural network configuration 4-5-1 (the 4 input variables mentioned above, 5 hidden nodes and discharge as the single output) with learning rate 0.05 and momentum 0.15 was found to perform best, with testing average RMSE (root mean square error) of the scaled output after 100,000 epochs amounting to 0.0138 as compared to 0.0216 for the (best performing) 2-5-1 MLP with stage and EC as inputs only. &amp;#160;&amp;#160;&amp;#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;References&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Moatar, F., Abbott, B.W., Minaudo, C., Curie, F. and Pinay, G.: Elemental properties, hydrology, and biology interact to shape concentration-discharge curves for carbon, nutrients, sediment and major ions. Water Resources Res., 53, 1270-1287, 2017.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Schmid, B.H.: Enhanced flow rating using neural networks with water stage and electrical conductivity as predictors. EGU2020-1804, EGU General Assembly 2020.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Singley, J.G., Wlostowski, A.N., Bergstrom, A.J., Sokol, E.R., Torrens, C.L., Jaros, C., Wilson, C.,E., Hendrickson, P.J. and Gooseff, M.N.: Characterizing hyporheic exchange processes using high-frequency electrical conductivity-discharge relationships on subhourly to interannual timescales. Water Resources Res. 53, 4124-4141, 2017.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Tunqui Neira, J.M., Andr&amp;#233;assian, V., Tallec, G. and Mouchel, J.-M.: A two-sided affine power scaling relationship to represent the concentration-discharge relationship. Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. 24, 1823-1830, 2020.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Weijs, S.V., Mutzner, R. and Parlange, M.B.: Could electrical conductivity replace water level in rating curves for alpine streams? Water Resources Research 49, 343-351, 2013.&lt;/p&gt;

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