Report on Science Program

The report details the progress of the Second Collaborative Research Network (CRNII), the Small Grants Program for the Human Dimensions (SGP-HD), and an IDRC-funded project on the La Plata Basin. It highlights the integration of social and economic research into natural sciences to bridge the science-policy divide, resulting in 343 joint scientific publications and significant capacity building for over 1,600 students. Key findings include the impact of land-use change on hydrology in the La Plata Basin, the vulnerability of Andean cloud forests and glaciers, and the influence of ocean currents on fisheries and carbon sequestration in the South Atlantic. The document also notes direct policy contributions, such as informing the National Glacier Protection Law in Argentina and updating urban decontamination plans in Bogotá and Medellín.

• The IAI's science programs have significantly expanded scientific capacity in the Americas, with the CRNII program providing scholarships to 318 students and training to 1,144 students, while the SGP-HD program provided 25 scholarships and trained 437 students.
• Research in the La Plata basin indicates that replacing permanent pastures with arable agriculture has altered regional hydrology by approximately one third, with groundwater accumulation from grain crops causing soil salinization and reducing yields.
• Andean cloud forests are identified as particularly vulnerable because they are being squeezed between rising temperatures and development pressures from below and grazing impacts from above.
• Glacial retreat is significant in the American Cordillera; the Southern Patagonian Icefield lost approximately 1,000 km2 (about 7%) of its ice cover between 1944 and 2009, with the annual loss rate doubling in the last 25 years.
• In the South Atlantic, the Patagonian continental shelf acts as a strong sink for atmospheric CO2, but global warming may alter the 'biological pump' by favoring less efficient carbon-sequestering groups like dinoflagellates.
• The IAI's research has directly influenced policy, including the development of Argentina's national Glacier Protection Law and the revocation of a 2010 State law in Brazil that had removed protection from important dry forest areas in Minas Gerais.
• Urban pollution research has led to the implementation of daily chemical-weather forecasts for Lima, Medellín, and Santiago, and provided data for decontamination plans in Bogotá and Medellín.

APA

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (2011). Report on Science Program. https://archive.iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/iai-cop-18-science-report-e.pdf

Chicago

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research. Report on Science Program. 2011. https://archive.iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/iai-cop-18-science-report-e.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research |title=Report on Science Program |date=9 May 2011 |url=https://archive.iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/iai-cop-18-science-report-e.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{interamericaninstituteforglobalchangeresearch2011report, author = {{Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}}, title = {{Report on Science Program}}, institution = {Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}, year = {2011}, month = may, url = {https://archive.iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/iai-cop-18-science-report-e.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }