Articles | Volume 18, issue 5
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-2487-2024
© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-2487-2024
© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
22 May 2024
Research article |
| 22 May 2024
| 22 May 2024
Hydrological response of Andean catchments to recent glacier mass loss
Alexis Caro
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, IRD, INRAE, Grenoble-INP, Institut des Géosciences de l’Environnement (IGE, UMR 5001), 38000 Grenoble, France
Thomas Condom
Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, IRD, INRAE, Grenoble-INP, Institut des Géosciences de l’Environnement (IGE, UMR 5001), 38000 Grenoble, France
Antoine Rabatel
Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, IRD, INRAE, Grenoble-INP, Institut des Géosciences de l’Environnement (IGE, UMR 5001), 38000 Grenoble, France
Nicolas Champollion
Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, IRD, INRAE, Grenoble-INP, Institut des Géosciences de l’Environnement (IGE, UMR 5001), 38000 Grenoble, France
Nicolás García
Glaciología y Cambio Climático, Centro de Estudios Científicos (CECs), Valdivia, Chile
Freddy Saavedra
Departamento de Ciencias Geográficas, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Exactas, Universidad de Playa Ancha, Leopoldo Carvallo 270, Playa Ancha, Valparaíso, Chile
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- Irreversible glacier change and trough water for centuries after overshooting 1.5 °C L. Schuster et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-025-02318-w
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- A Coupled SWAT-LSTM Approach for Climate-Driven Runoff Dynamics in a Snow- and Ice-Fed Arid Basin K. Xing et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/su172210235
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29 citations as recorded by crossref.
- Machine learning improves seasonal mass balance prediction for unmonitored glaciers K. Sjursen et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-5801-2025
- Megadrought‐Amplified River Geochemical Export in the Central Andes J. León & K. Lecomte https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.70594
- Twenty-first century global glacier evolution under CMIP6 scenarios and the role of glacier-specific observations H. Zekollari et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-5045-2024
- Daily snow depth in the Southern Andes (2010–2024): a quality-controlled dataset from Chile and Argentina A. Caro et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-18-7097-2026
- Less water from glaciers during future megadroughts in the Southern Andes Á. Ayala et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02845-6
- Effects of climate change and anthropogenic pressure on water resources and ecosystem services in a high-elevation Andean socio-ecosystem (Katari basin, Lake Titicaca, Bolivia): A synthesis S. Guédron et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2026.182339
- Irreversible glacier change and trough water for centuries after overshooting 1.5 °C L. Schuster et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-025-02318-w
- An integrated assessment of water scarcity and glacier runoff changes in Asian and South American glacierized basins R. Calvo-Gallardo et al. https://doi.org/10.1017/sus.2025.10046
- Future glacio-hydrological changes in the Andes: a focus on near-future projections up to 2050 A. Caro et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-88069-2
- State of the ice: how are Andean glaciers responding to climate change? R. Wilson https://doi.org/10.1080/00167487.2026.2678080
- Physically based modelling of glacier evolution under climate change in the tropical Andes J. Mackay et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-685-2025
- Enzymatic activity of cryoconites from glaciers and high-altitude glacial soils in the Central Caucasus R. Tembotov & E. Abakumov https://doi.org/10.5817/CPR2026-1-7
- Mid- and Late-Holocene Climate Variability of the Central Andes (Peru and Bolivia) Reviewed from δ18O Stratigraphy of Ice Cores A. Fernández-Sánchez et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos17050437
- Unravelling the sources of uncertainty in glacier runoff projections in the Patagonian Andes (40–56° S) R. Aguayo et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-5383-2024
- Role of supraglacial sediments in redistribution of nutrients at the alpine environment: a case study from the Central Caucasus, Russia I. Kushnov et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2025.109622
- Glacier change threatens Central Asia’s water towers Q. Zhang et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2026.114727
- Representing glacier evolution for modelling hydrological responses to climate change in mountainous catchments D. Ruelland et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2026.135769
- Impact of Solar Radiation Management on Andean glacier-wide surface mass balance A. Fernández et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41612-024-00807-x
- Glacial decline next to stable permafrost in the Dry Andes? Vertical glacier surface changes and rock glacier kinematics based on Pléiades imagery (Rodeo basin, 2019–2025) M. Stammler et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-2257-2026
- Geochemical Patterns of Soil and Water in Recently Deglaciated Lands of Peruvian Tropical Glaciers F. Castillo-Vergara et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/environments13080423
- Streamflow Generation across the Diverse Tropics: Heterogeneity, Evidence Gaps, and Hydrological Implications A. Ziegler et al. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsestwater.5c01087
- Topographic modulation of drought propagation establishes low-elevation hotspots and mid-elevation climatic refugia in Southern Africa M. Tilahun et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2026.114807
- Glacier, Wetland, and Lagoon Dynamics in the Barroso Mountain Range, Atacama Desert: Past Trends and Future Projections Using CA-Markov G. Huayna et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/hydrology12030064
- Monitoring the physical processes driving the mass loss of Tapado Glacier, Dry Andes of Chile Á. Ayala et al. https://doi.org/10.1017/jog.2025.24
- Seven decades of glacier loss on the Nevados de Chillán volcanic complex, Chile M. Spencer et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-5559-2026
- Meltwater Contribution and Mass Balance of the Juncal Norte Glacier During an Extreme Drought Year in the Dry Andes of Central Chile A. Bellisario et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/w18080897
- Multisource Satellite Altimetry Reveals Complex Elevation Dynamics at Klutlan Glacier in Alaska Between 2008 and 2024 J. Hu et al. https://doi.org/10.1109/JSTARS.2026.3726873
- A Coupled SWAT-LSTM Approach for Climate-Driven Runoff Dynamics in a Snow- and Ice-Fed Arid Basin K. Xing et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/su172210235
- Over half of existing dams in the Tarim River Basin should be removed under changing environment Y. Chen et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2025.134419
Saved (final revised paper)
Latest update: 15 Oct 2026
Short summary
The glacier runoff changes are still unknown in most of the Andean catchments, thereby increasing uncertainties in estimating water availability, especially during the dry season. Here, we simulate glacier evolution and related glacier runoff changes across the Andes between 2000 and 2019. Our results indicate a glacier reduction in 93 % of the catchments, leading to a 12 % increase in glacier melt. These results can be downloaded and integrated with discharge measurements in each catchment.
The glacier runoff changes are still unknown in most of the Andean catchments, thereby...
