scholarly journals Wintertime Precipitation Episodes in Central Chile: Associated Meteorological Conditions and Orographic Influences

2007 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 171-193 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Falvey ◽  
René Garreaud
Keyword(s):  
Microwave Radiometer ◽  
Moisture Flux ◽  
Heavy Precipitation ◽  
Rain Gauge ◽  
Radiosonde Data ◽  
Precipitation Pattern ◽  
Mountain Range ◽  
Central Chile ◽  
The Andes ◽  
Precipitation Gauge

Abstract Central Chile (32°–35°S) is a mountainous and densely populated strip of land between the South American Pacific coast and the main divide of the Andes, 5000 m in height. In this study, wintertime precipitation episodes in central Chile are characterized using precipitation gauge, river discharge, radiosonde, and Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I) passive microwave radiometer observations over a 10-yr period (1993–2002). Precipitation episodes that typically occur as cold frontal rainstorms move over the region from west to east, within which the cross-mountain flow is blocked at lower levels. The influence of the Andes on the climatological precipitation pattern extends several hundred kilometers upstream of the coast. Over the mainland, the wintertime precipitation is most strongly related to the height of the mean topography surrounding the rain gauge sites, rather than the actual altitudes of the instruments, although higher-elevation locations are not well sampled by available rainfall observations. Between the coast and foothills of the Andes, the precipitation pattern is relatively uniform despite the complex coastal topography. On the western face of the Andes climatological enhancement factors of between 1 and 3 are inferred. Regression analysis against radiosonde data at a coastal site reveals that the precipitation is strongly related to the zonal (cross mountain) moisture flux. The strongest relationship is found when the moisture flux is multiplied by the relative humidity. This variable explains 50% of the variance in daily area average precipitation in central Chile and up to 60% of the variance in the daily precipitation recorded at individual stations. The factors contributing to events of heavy precipitation enhancement in the Andes were examined. Events of heavy, but isolated, precipitation in the Andes tend to occur in the warmer, prefrontal sector of approaching storms and are associated with unusually high moisture fluxes near to and above the crest of the mountain range. Strongly frontal episodes, characterized by widespread rainfall throughout central Chile, lead to variable, but on average rather weak, enhancement in the Andes.

Genetic and morphological evidence for a new cryptic species of Ectinogonia (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) from central Chile

Zootaxa ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 4303 (2) ◽  
pp. 284 ◽  
Author(s):  
SIMÓN ANGUITA-SALINAS ◽  
RODRIGO M. BARAHONA-SEGOVIA ◽  
ELIE POULIN ◽  
ALVARO ZÚÑIGA-REINOSO
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Genetic Distance ◽  
Cryptic Species ◽  
Distance Matrix ◽  
Morphological Evidence ◽  
Mountain Range ◽  
Central Chile ◽  
The Andes ◽  
Genetic Distance Matrix ◽  
Coi Sequences

The genus Ectinogonia Spinola, 1837 is a genus mainly found in Chile; it currently contains 17 species. Recent exploration in the Andes Mountain Range of the Bio Bio Region in Chile have resulted in the collection of specimens slightly different morphologically from all previously described species. The aim of this paper is to describe this new species of Ectinogonia using morphological and genetic evidence. To establish differences between species we described the external morphology and compared it to species that are morphologically similar (i.e. E. buqueti Spinola 1837 and E. intermedia Kerremans 1903). We also measured the genetic differences in COI sequences, constructing a distance matrix in which we compared it to species that are morphologically similar (E. buqueti and E. intermedia) and other species found in the same region (E. speciosa oscuripennis Moore 1994). We found that E. cryptica sp. n. differs from E. buqueti (which previously contained E. cryptica sp. n.) in pronotum and elytral patterns. The genetic distance matrix shows that E. cryptica sp. n. differs by 4.6% from all other Ectinogonia species compared, supporting the morphological evidence. 

Effect of the Andes Cordillera on Precipitation from a Midlatitude Cold Front

2009 ◽  
Vol 137 (9) ◽  
pp. 3092-3109 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bradford S. Barrett ◽  
RenéD. Garreaud ◽  
Mark Falvey
Keyword(s):  
Cold Front ◽  
Orographic Precipitation ◽  
Mountain Range ◽  
Frontal Surface ◽  
Central Chile ◽  
The Andes ◽  
Southeast Pacific ◽  
Upper Level ◽  
High Topography ◽  
Andes Cordillera

Abstract The effects of the Andes Cordillera, the major mountain range in South America, on precipitation patterns of baroclinic systems approaching from the southeast Pacific remain largely unstudied. This study focuses on a case in late May 2008 when an upper-level trough and surface cold front produced widespread precipitation in central Chile. The primary goal was to analyze the physical mechanisms responsible for the structure and evolution of the precipitation. Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model simulations indicate that as an upper-level trough approached central Chile, midtropospheric flow below 700 hPa was blocked by the high topography and deflected poleward in the form of a barrier jet. This northerly jet had wind maxima in excess of 15 m s−1, was centered around 925 hPa, and extended westward 200 km from the mountains. It intersected the cold front, which approached from the south near the coast, thereby increasing convergence along the frontal surface, slowing its equatorward progress, and enhancing rainfall over central Chile. Another separate region of heavy precipitation formed over the upwind slopes of the cordillera. A trajectory analysis confirmed that the barrier jet moved low-level parcels from their origin in the moist southeast Pacific boundary layer to the coast. When model topography was reduced to twenty percent of its original height, the cold front advanced more rapidly to the northeast, generated less precipitation in central Chile between 33° and 36°S, and produced minimal orographic precipitation on the upwind Andean slopes. Based on these findings, the high topography appears responsible for not only orographic precipitation but also for substantially increasing precipitation totals over the central coast and valley.

scholarly journals Puma (Puma concolor) in the Neighborhood? Records Near Human Settlements and Insights into Human-Carnivore Coexistence in Central Chile

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 965
Author(s):  
Diego Ramírez-Álvarez ◽  
Constanza Napolitano ◽  
Iván Salgado
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Puma Concolor ◽  
Suitable Habitat ◽  
Mountain Range ◽  
Human Settlement ◽  
Human Settlements ◽  
Central Chile ◽  
Global Context ◽  
The Andes ◽  
Management And Conservation

The wildland–urban interface lies at the confluence of human-dominated and wild landscapes—creating a number of management and conservation challenges. Wildlife sightings near human settlements have appeared to increase in the last years. This article reports 51 records of presences, sightings, and livestock attacks of Puma concolor, a large-sized felid, collected from 2012 to 2020 across the O’Higgins region in central Chile. Puma records were concentrated in the east of the region in the Andes Range and foothills (90%). The number of puma records is higher in the last four to six years than in previously studied years. Of the 51 records, 23.5% are between 0 and 999 m from the nearest human settlement (classified as very close), 25.5% are between 1000 and 4999 m (moderately close), and 51% are over 5000 m (distant). Most of the sightings are recorded in the summer (35%) and spring (29%). We identify an area of approximately 9000 km2 of suitable habitat as the most probable corridor effectively connecting pumas moving between eastern and western areas, encompassing the Angostura de Paine mountain range. Our results contribute to the understanding of the presence and movements of P. concolor near urban areas and human settlements, confirming their persistence in and adaptation to human-dominated landscapes. We also provide insights into human–carnivore coexistence in the current global context in the densely populated central Chile.

scholarly journals Characterization of an Alsodes pehuenche breeding site in the Andes of central Chile

Herpetozoa ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 33 ◽  
pp. 21-26
Author(s):  
Alejandro Piñeiro ◽  
Pablo Fibla ◽  
Carlos López ◽  
Nelson Velásquez ◽  
Luis Pastenes
Keyword(s):  
Natural History ◽  
Geographical Distribution ◽  
Breeding Site ◽  
Physicochemical Characteristics ◽  
Mountain Range ◽  
Central Chile ◽  
The Andes ◽  
History Of ◽  
First Time

Alsodes pehuenche, an endemic anuran that inhabits the Andes of Argentina and Chile, is considered “Critically Endangered” due to its restricted geographical distribution and multiple potential threats that affect it. This study is about the natural history of A. pehuenche and the physicochemical characteristics of a breeding site located in the Maule mountain range of central Chile. Moreover, the finding of its clutches in Chilean territory is reported here for the first time. Finally, a description of the number and morphology of these eggs is provided.

scholarly journals Warm Winter Storms in Central Chile

2013 ◽  
Vol 14 (5) ◽  
pp. 1515-1534 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Garreaud
Keyword(s):  
South America ◽  
West Coast ◽  
Moisture Flux ◽  
Central Pacific ◽  
The West ◽  
Winter Storms ◽  
Central Chile ◽  
Warm Winter ◽  
Freezing Level ◽  
The Andes

Abstract Central Chile is a densely populated region along the west coast of subtropical South America (30°–36°S), limited to the east by the Andes. Precipitation is concentrated in austral winter, mostly associated with the passage of cold fronts. The freezing level over central Chile is typically between 1500 and 2500 m when precipitation is present. In about a third of the cases, however, precipitation occurs accompanied by warm temperatures and freezing levels above 3000 m, leading to a sizeable increment in the pluvial area of Andean basins and setting the stage for hydrometeorological hazards. Here, warm winter storms in central Chile are studied, including a statistical description of their occurrence and an estimate of their hydrological impacts. Remote-sensed data and high-resolution reanalysis are used to explore the synoptic-scale environment of a typical case, generalized later by a compositing analysis. The structure of warm storms is also contrasted with that of the more recurrent cold cases. Precipitation during warm events occurs in the warm sector of a slow-moving cold front because of the intense moisture flux against the mountains in connection with a land-falling atmospheric river. This is in turn driven by a strong zonal jet aloft and reduced mechanical blocking upstream of the Andes. On a broader scale, a key element is the presence of a slowly moving anticyclone over the south Pacific, fostering advection of cold air into midlatitudes. The intense and persistent zonal jet stretches a moist-air corridor from the central Pacific to the west coast of South America.

scholarly journals Soil Quality Changes within a (Nothofagus obliqua) Forest Under Silvopastoral Management in the Andes Mountain Range, South Central Chile

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (17) ◽  
pp. 6815
Author(s):  
Juan Ortiz ◽  
Francis Dube ◽  
Pablo Neira ◽  
Marcelo Panichini ◽  
Neal B. Stolpe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Quality ◽  
Soil Degradation ◽  
Sustainable Land Use ◽  
Mountain Range ◽  
Organic C ◽  
Central Chile ◽  
The Andes ◽  
South Central ◽  
Nothofagus Obliqua ◽  
Physical And Chemical

In Chile, 49.1% of the national territory is affected by soil degradation (including erosion and loss of soil organic matter), whereby of the 51.7 Mha that have been historically associated with agricultural-livestock and forestry activities, only 35.5 Mha are being used at the present. Consequently, soil degradation has resulted in the release of about 11.8 Gg yr−1 of carbon (C) equivalent (CO2eq) to the atmosphere. Silvopastoral systems (SPS), however, can increase soil organic C (SOC) through sequestration (C→SOC), improve ecosystem services, and have been internationally recommended for sustainable land use. Therefore, it was proposed to determine the effects of SPS on soils, over five years, in degraded sites that were located in the Ranchillo Alto (SPS-RA) (37°04′52″ S, 71°39′14″ W), Ñuble region. The sites were rated according to previous canopy disturbance levels (+) as follows: open (Op)+++, semi open (SOp)++, and semi closed (SC)+. The analysis was performed on different physical and chemical soil properties (0–5 and 5–20 cm depths), that were expressed as soil indicators (SIND) for chemical and physical properties, which were used to calculate a soil quality (SQ) index (SQI). The results indicated overall SQI values of 37.6 (SC) > 29.8 (Op) > 28.8 (SOp), but there were no significant variations (p < 0.05) in physical SQ, whereas chemical SQ varied in all conditions, mostly at 0–5 cm in Op and SOp. Increases of SOC were also observed (2015–2018 period) of 22.5, 14.5, and 4.8 Mg ha−1 for SOp, Op, and SC, respectively, showing that SPS promote the reclamation of Ranchillo Alto soils.

scholarly journals Quaternary Glaciations in the Andes of North-Central Chile

1975 ◽  
Vol 14 (70) ◽  
pp. 155-170 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cesar N. Caviedes ◽  
Roland Paskoff
Keyword(s):  
Polar Front ◽  
Southern Andes ◽  
North Central ◽  
Central Chile ◽  
The Andes ◽  
Semi Arid ◽  
Quaternary Glaciations ◽  
Chilean Andes

The extension of the Quaternary glaciations has been studied in the semi-arid Andes of north-central Chile, where the glacial modelling is striking. In the Elqui valley (lat. 30°S.), two glacial advances were identified reaching down to 3 100 m (Laguna glaciation) and 2 500 m (Tapado glaciation). In the Aconcagua valley (lat. 33°S.), moraines from three major glacial advances were found, at 2 800 m (Portillo glaciation), 1 600 m (Guardia Vieja glaciation) and 1 300 m (Salto del Soldado glaciation).The Quaternary glaciations were linked with a decrease of temperature, but more significantly with a marked increase of precipitation probably related to an equatorward shift of 5–6 degrees of the austral polar front. The results obtained in the semi-arid Chilean Andes are correlated with those recently reported from other sectors of the southern Andes.

scholarly journals Analysis of intense rainfall events on Madeira Island during the 2009/2010 winter

2012 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 2225-2240 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. T. Couto ◽  
R. Salgado ◽  
M. J. Costa
Keyword(s):  
Precipitable Water ◽  
Heavy Precipitation ◽  
Rain Gauge ◽  
Horizontal Resolution ◽  
Pressure System ◽  
Orographic Effects ◽  
Madeira Island ◽  
High Rainfall ◽  
High Precipitation Events ◽  
Precipitation Events

Abstract. This paper constitutes a step towards the understanding of some characteristics associated with high rainfall amounts and flooding on Madeira Island. The high precipitation events that occurred during the winter of 2009/2010 have been considered with three main goals: to analyze the main atmospheric characteristics associated with the events; to expand the understanding of the interaction between the island and the atmospheric circulations, mainly the effects of the island on the generation or intensification of orographic precipitation; and to evaluate the performance of high resolution numerical modeling in simulating and forecasting heavy precipitation events over the island. The MESO-NH model with a horizontal resolution of 1 km is used, as well as rain gauge data, synoptic charts and measurements of precipitable water obtained from the Atmospheric InfraRed Sounder (AIRS). The results confirm the influence of the orographic effects on precipitation over Madeira as well as the tropical–extratropical interaction, since atmospheric rivers were detected in six out of the seven cases analyzed, acting as a low level moisture supplier, which together with the orographic lifting induced the high rainfall amounts. Only in one of the cases the presence of a low pressure system was identified over the archipelago.

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