La temperatura de la superficie del Océano Pacífico afecta la capa de nieve de los Andes y el aporte de agua a las regiones semiáridas del centro de Chile y Argentina

This fact sheet describes the relationship between Pacific Ocean surface temperatures, winter snowpack in the Andes (between 30 and 37° S), and river streamflows in semi-arid regions of central Chile and west-central Argentina. It highlights the influence of El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) on water availability.

• Andean snowmelt is the primary water source for domestic consumption, agriculture, industry, hydroelectric power, and ecosystems in the semi-arid regions of central Chile and west-central Argentina.
• Winter snowpack and river streamflows are linked to large-scale Pacific Ocean surface temperature changes. Warm El Niño events correlate with high snow and streamflow, while cold La Niña events generally correlate with dry years, with exceptions in 1968, 1990, and 2004.
• The Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) influences low-frequency hydrological variations in the Andes. Specifically, PDO shifts in the mid-1940s and 1976-77 coincided with a 27% decrease (1945) and a 28% increase (1977) in average annual river streamflows, respectively.
• Low PDO values in the late 1990s did not align with regional streamflow records, which may be attributed to an increasing contribution from glacial melt, though more detailed data is required to confirm this.

APA

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (2012). La temperatura de la superficie del Océano Pacífico afecta la capa de nieve de los Andes y el aporte de agua a las regiones semiáridas del centro de Chile y Argentina. https://iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/uploads/2014/06/snapshot10_SP.pdf

Chicago

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research. La temperatura de la superficie del Océano Pacífico afecta la capa de nieve de los Andes y el aporte de agua a las regiones semiáridas del centro de Chile y Argentina. 2012. https://iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/uploads/2014/06/snapshot10_SP.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research |title=La temperatura de la superficie del Océano Pacífico afecta la capa de nieve de los Andes y el aporte de agua a las regiones semiáridas del centro de Chile y Argentina |date=2012 |url=https://iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/uploads/2014/06/snapshot10_SP.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{interamericaninstituteforglobalchangeresearch2012temperatura, author = {{Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}}, title = {{La temperatura de la superficie del Océano Pacífico afecta la capa de nieve de los Andes y el aporte de agua a las regiones semiáridas del centro de Chile y Argentina}}, institution = {Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}, year = {2012}, url = {https://iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/uploads/2014/06/snapshot10_SP.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }