ESTIMATING GLACIER AND SNOWMELT CONTRIBUTIONS TO STREAM FLOW IN A CENTRAL ANDES CATCHMENT IN CHILE USING NATURAL TRACERS

摘要

Fresh water resources in the semi-arid region of Central Chile are highly limited and derived mainly from snow and glacial melt. However, the contributions of each of these two sources are poorly known. This results partly from little and unreliable information on precipitation spatial variability in the high Andes and therefore the water equivalent of high elevation snowpacks. On the other hand, discharge appears to be less correlated with snowmelt in glacierized basins, compared to those with little or no influence of glaciers.