The world climate is spiraling out of control. Iran shut down for two days this week, and Beijing recorded its most intense rainfall in over 140 years. Japan shattered heat records for the day. Sea ice in Antarctica remains at a record low. In the Southwest United States, a wave of dangerous heat has failed to break for weeks.
The Andean states (Spanish: Estados Andinos) are a group of countries in western South America connected by the Andes mountain range. The "Andean States" is sometimes used to refer to all seven countries that the Andes runs through,But it is South America where meteorologists have shifted their focus: “Some places have even reached all-time maximums — surpassing summer temperatures, even though it is winter.” The temperatures are higher than in Europe, where they will experience record cold.
The sea temperature in the ocean near Peru, Ecuador, and Columbia is almost 34 degrees above normal, primarily due to El Niño Costero in Peru, where heavy rainfall and flooding occur. There is an overpopulation of mosquitos which spread disease. Crops are damaged, as well as infrastructure.
In Southern South America, temperatures have been above normal for weeks in Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay, and other locations. But it is winter in South America and August, comparable to the Northern Hemisphere month of February. Temperatures have soared over 100 degrees in many areas, but primarily in the countries that contain the Andes.
Vicuna ALL TIME HIGH and all time high for the whole coquimbo province. recorded in the midst of the winter.one of the ost insane shocking event the whole world has ever seen in recorded climatic history. no doubt.Ian Livingston writes in the Washington Posts Capital Weather Gang.
Temperatures Tuesday rose past 95 degrees (35 Celsius) in numerous locations, including at elevations of about 3,500 to 4,500 feet in the Andes foothills. In some cases, the temperature crested above 100 degrees (38 Celsius) after leaping from morning lows in the 30s and 40s (single-digits Celsius).
Some places have even reached all-time maximums — surpassing summer temperatures, even though it is winter in the Southern Hemisphere. This has occurred in locations with 20 to 30 years of climate data available, showing how exceptional this heat is compared with recent decades.
snip
Parts of Brazil began to bake in mid-July, establishing record highs for the month as temperatures rose to at least 100 degrees (upper 30s Celsius). There was another spell of unusual heat during the third week of the month, which brought a slew of July records to Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay and Uruguay.
A powerful zone of high pressure, or heat dome, centered over Paraguay is dominating the weather. It extends east to west across the south-central part of the continent.
Large swathes are expected to continue to be hot, perhaps peaking by the weekend, but as Ian Livingston noted, temperatures are expected to stay over 100 degrees in many areas “for as long as reliable forecasts extend.”
Andes Meltdown: New Insights Into Rapidly Retreating Glaciers
Every year, tens of thousands of pilgrims gather at one of Peru’s most sacred glaciers — the Colquepunco, located at the heart of the Cordillera Vilcanota, near Cusco. Draped in brightly colored ponchos, adorned with iridescent plumes, and carrying large religious symbols, pilgrims from all walks of life come to join the Quyllurit’i — a festival mixing Catholic, Incan, and local indigenous rituals and ceremonies.
The pilgrims chant, dance, pray, and make offerings to the glacier, which legend holds is inhabited by a divine spirit.
The most sacred part of the ceremony involves men dressed as mythical half-man, half-bear creatures known as the Ukuku, who cut large blocks of ice from the glacier and strap them to their backs. The Ukuku carry this ice — which, when melted, is thought to hold supernatural healing powers — down to the valley.
Bernard Francou, a French glaciologist who has spent more than 20 years studying Andean glaciers, has joined three of these celebrations in his lifetime. To his surprise, though, the ritual had changed by the last time he went, in 2012. “I expected them to take the ice from the glacier to bring it down on their backs,” he recalled, “so I asked them why they stopped, and they said: ‘We saw that the glacier had retreated, it is increasingly small, it is sick. So we don’t want to cause it any more harm by removing more of its ice.’ ”
The Guardian wrote about the drinking water emergency in Uruguay.
Almost two decades ago, Uruguay led the way as the world’s first country to enshrine the right to clean water in its constitution. Now it is parched and desperate. Residents can cross the reservoir serving Montevideo on foot. The capital has declared a water emergency, with officials warning that it is a matter of days before it runs dry. For months they have been eking out tap water supplies by adding brackish estuary water, telling pregnant women and people with serious health conditions not to drink it. Authorities have cut taxes on bottled water and are distributing it for free to the estimated one in seven people for whom it is unaffordable. Others are turning to wells.
The main culprit is the worst drought in more than 70 years. Though Uruguay is naturally rich in water, rainfall is highly variable due to the impact of La Niña and El Niño weather patterns. The problems are exacerbated by global heating, which makes dry years drier and rainy years wetter, as well as increasing evaporation losses. Neighbouring Argentina is beset by shortages already. Many more countries around the world face similar challenges – or soon will.
The Pacific slope of Peru is greening, but it's not good news
Research led by physicists and geographers at the University of Cambridge has unveiled some large-scale changes in the vegetation in the South American Andes which may have dramatic impact on the environment and ecosystems of the region.
Analyzing satellite data spanning the past 20 years, the research team based at the Cavendish Laboratory in Cambridge examined how vegetation has been changing along the Pacific coast of Peru and northern Chile. This area is known for its unique and delicate arid and semi-arid environments.
snip
But more interestingly this study, published in Remote Sensing, revealed the discovery of a huge section of the West Slope of the Andes undergoing significant greening in the past 20 years. This section, which extends from Northern Peru to Northern Chile, spanning a length of about 2000km, has seen its vegetation growing significantly over time. This greening trend varies with altitude, with different vegetation types at different elevations.
snip
"The Pacific slope provides water for two-thirds of the country, and this is where most of the food for Peru is coming from too," said Barnes. "This rapid change in vegetation, and to water level and ecosystems, will inevitably have an impact on water and agricultural planning management."