Rock glaciers as a water resource in a changing climate in the semiarid Chilean Andes
Rock glaciers as a water resource in a changing climate in the semiarid Chilean Andes
复制标题
半干旱智利安第斯山脉气候变化中岩石冰川作为水资源
DOI：
--
复制
发表时间：
2019
影响因子：
4.2
通讯作者：
Rémi Valois
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
N. Schaffer;S. MacDonell;M. Réveillet;E. Yáñez;Rémi Valois
岩石冰川可能在半干旱的安第斯山脉（南纬27°-35°S）发挥重要的水文作用。它们在最需要水的时候补充水流，尤其是在干旱的夏末几个月。尽管它们被认为是重要的，但没有出版物基于岩石冰川冰损失或排放的测量来量化它们对智利南部河流流量的水文贡献。在这项研究中，我们评估了关于南亚岩石冰川水文重要性的现有信息，并就未来的研究如何解决知识空白提出了建议。我们的结论是，目前还没有足够的数据来量化南亚岩石冰川的水文贡献。冰川流量的测量仅限于未发表的数据集，从中只能得出非常有限的结论。对于单个岩石冰川，没有可用的冰体积变化测量或替代方法。根据面积范围、厚度和冰含量百分比计算的岩石冰川冰体积的近似值是可用的，这些数据为计算未来冰体积变化提供了初始基线。虽然这些基线数据非常有价值，但由于缺乏研究，特别是关于冰川厚度和冰含量百分比的研究，它们只是粗略的估计。随着未来气温的升高和降水的减少，岩石冰川可能成为该地区日益重要的水资源，特别是在Elqui和Juncal流域。需要改进对岩石冰川流量、含水量、过程和水文的估计，以模拟它们未来的演变并评估它们对水资源的贡献。
Rock glaciers likely play an important hydrological role in the semiarid Andes (SA; 27°–35°S). They supplement streamflow when water is needed most, especially during dry years in the late summer months. Despite their assumed importance, there are no publications that quantify their hydrological contribution to streamflow in the SA of Chile, based on measurements of rock glacier ice loss or discharge. In this study, we assess the available information on the hydrological importance of rock glaciers in the SA and provide suggestions on how future research can address knowledge gaps. We conclude that there is insufficient data available to quantify the hydrological contribution of rock glaciers in the SA. Measurements of glacier discharge are limited to unpublished data sets from which only very limited conclusions can be drawn. There are no ice volume change measurements or proxies available for individual rock glaciers. Approximations of rock glacier ice volume, calculated from areal extent, thickness, and percentage of ice content are available, and these data provide an initial baseline for calculating ice volume change in the future. While these baseline data are very valuable, they represent rough estimates due to a scarcity of studies, especially on glacier thickness and percentage of ice content. With increased temperatures and a decrease in precipitation expected in the future, rock glaciers could become an increasingly critical water resource in this region, especially in the Elqui and Juncal catchments. Improved estimates of rock glacier discharge, water content, processes, and hydrology are required to model their future evolution and evaluate their contribution to water resources.