Southern Patagonia´s Perito Moreno Glacier, Lake Argentino, and Santa Cruz River hydrological system: An overview

• Published in: Journal of Hydrology
• Main Authors: Pasquini, Andrea Ines, Depetris Gallino, Pedro Jose
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Aao; Enso; Fourier Coherence; Harmonic Analysis; Kendall Seasonal Test; Wavelets; https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.5; https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1; Antarctic; The Antarctic; Patagonia; Argentino; Argentina; Moreno; Kendall; Antarc*
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/11336/53407

An overview of the hydrological data from Patagonia's Perito Moreno Glacier-Lake Argentino- and Santa Cruz River system reinforces our previous assertion that the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the Antarctic Oscillation (AAO) are teleconnected with the rupture sequence when the glacier's snout harmonically dams (during certain interannual periods) the Rico branch of Lake Argentino. It is clear, however, that the incidence of interannual climatic anomalies is not uniform in time and appears embedded in decadal or quasi bidecadal periods of relative damming inactivity. The use of nonparametric tests shows that there are no significant positive trends in the river's annual discharge with the only exception of the yearly snowmelt/ice melt periods (September-October), when riverine flow appears to increase with statistical significance. The question of the glacier's stability looks like a complex multivariate process, although we do not rule out the occasional role of ENSO/AAO. A longer hydrological data series (i.e., 100. years) would prove useful in casting some light on this intriguing process, surely accounting for the glacier's response time. © 2011 Elsevier B.V. Fil: Pasquini, Andrea Ines. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Tierra. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Tierra; Argentina Fil: Depetris Gallino, Pedro Jose. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Tierra. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Tierra; Argentina