Informe del Programa Científico

The 2011 Scientific Program Report by the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) details the achievements of four scientific programs between May 2010 and April 2011. It focuses on the Cooperative Research Networks (CRN II), the Small Grants Program for Human Dimensions (SGP-HD), and an IDRC-funded project on land use in the Río de la Plata basin. The report emphasizes the integration of natural and social sciences to inform policy decisions regarding climate change, biodiversity, and water security across the Americas.

• The CRN II program significantly expanded scientific capacity and funding, leveraging approximately US$22.5 million over its first four years and providing scholarships to 318 students.
• Urban air pollution in major Latin American cities such as Bogotá, Lima, Mexico City, Santiago, São Paulo, and Rio de Janeiro exceeds World Meteorological Organization standards, causing chronic health effects. In Bogotá, children are most affected during cold periods, while elderly cardiovascular mortality peaks during warm periods.
• Tropical dry forests in the Americas are severely threatened, with only 4.5% currently protected in parks and reserves. Research indicates that the effectiveness of these parks is low when they are located in remote, inaccessible areas or on steep slopes where threats were already minimal.
• In the Río de la Plata basin, replacing permanent pastures with agricultural crops has altered regional hydrology by about one third. In the western Pampa, recurrent flooding affects 16 million hectares and reduces agricultural production by an average of 21%.
• The Patagonian shelf is one of the most productive marine ecosystems on Earth and acts as a major sink for atmospheric CO2. However, global warming may strengthen vertical stratification, potentially reducing the 'biological pump' and the ocean's ability to absorb CO2.
• Andean glaciers between 17-55°S have generally retreated over the last century. Specifically, the Southern Patagonian Ice Field lost approximately 1,000 km² (about 7%) of its cover between 1944 and 2009, with the annual loss rate doubling in the last 25 years.
• In the Caribbean, historical data spanning 1,500 years indicates that hurricane activity peaked during the medieval period (c. 900-1100 AD) and again after 1850, particularly after 1980. Current warming trends suggest a higher frequency of hurricanes in the future.
• Sea level rise is predicted to be between 18-59 cm by 2100. In the United States, 19 million people (6.4% of the population) live within one kilometer of the coast. In the Caribbean, at least 20% of the population in the Bahamas, Belize, and Guadeloupe would be impacted if the sea level rose by 6 meters.
• Coffee producers in Mesoamerica perceive market fluctuations as a greater threat to their livelihoods than climate change, despite documented increases in nighttime and maximum temperatures.
• In the Chaco region of central Argentina, undisturbed dry forests store 187 tons of carbon per hectare, with 71% of this biomass located underground. Traditional land use, such as selective wood extraction and moderate grazing, allows for land use while continuing to capture soil carbon.

APA

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (2011). Informe del Programa Científico. https://archive.iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/iai-cop-18-science-report-s.pdf

Chicago

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research. Informe del Programa Científico. 2011. https://archive.iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/iai-cop-18-science-report-s.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research |title=Informe del Programa Científico |date=June 2011 |url=https://archive.iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/iai-cop-18-science-report-s.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{interamericaninstituteforglobalchangeresearch2011informe, author = {{Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}}, title = {{Informe del Programa Científico}}, institution = {Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}, year = {2011}, month = jun, url = {https://archive.iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/iai-cop-18-science-report-s.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }