To prepare for a drier future on Peru’s western coast, researchers are turning to techniques of the past.
Peru
The Dangers of Glacial Lake Floods: Pioneering and Capitulation
During the past 70 years, Peruvian engineers virtually eliminated the risks posed by glacial lake floods. But climate change and a political blind eye are increasing the dangers once again.
Peruvian Mountain Birds Take an “Escalator to Extinction”
As the climate warms, tropical birds living in the mountains are retreating to higher elevations to avoid the heat. What happens when they run out of mountain slope to escape to?
After a Glacier Retreats, Plants Thrive Thanks to Phosphorus
Grasses, small flowers, and mosses colonize glacial till in the Peruvian Andes when researchers apply a phosphorus fertilizer, an ecological surprise with implications for carbon sequestration.
Can Water Vapor Help Forecast When a Volcano Will Blow?
A widely used technique to monitor sulfur dioxide was tweaked to focus on water vapor at Peru’s Sabancaya Volcano. Results show that the volcano steamed up prior to its 2016 eruption.
Observing the Ocean
How measurements from a glider deployed off the coast of Peru are contributing to a much-needed long time-series data set.
After Decades, High-Altitude Observations Revived at Jicamarca
Recent upgrades to the Jicamarca Radio Observatory in Peru allow it to probe electron densities several thousand kilometers above Earth, a feat it hasn't accomplished in 50 years.
Focusing the Human Lens on Glacial Outburst Floods
To better prepare mountain communities for possible floods, experts say that it is important to understand the communities themselves.
Countries Worldwide Commit to Curbing Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Although the agreement is a political breakthrough, it falls short of keeping future temperatures from rising more than 2°C above those of pre-industrial times.
Peruvian Andes Helped to Cool Eastern Equatorial Pacific
Scientists investigate the role of the Peruvian Andes on climate variability.