Outlook on climate change adaptation in the Tropical Andes mountains
Roseau
Lake Poopó is located in the Altiplano mountains of Bolivia, at approximately 3,700 m altitude. It was formerly the second-largest lake in Bolivia after Lake Titicaca. The lake reached its peak in 1986 with an area of 3,500 km 2 (Quinn and Woodward, 2015). The area of the lake has always fluctuated and is sensitive to even small changes in precipitation and river inflow (inflow is mainly provided through the Rio Desaguadero, which itself flows from Lake Titicaca) (Zola and Bengtsson, 2006). In 1996, the lake completely disappeared and reverted to a salt flat status, and it took several years before water reappeared. However, by January 2016 water had almost completely disappeared apart from a fewmarshes. The main reason for its disappearance is the strong drought caused by El Niño, but other contributing factors include the diversion of the lake’s resources for water and agriculture. Lake Poopó – officially declared “evaporated” in December 2015
Water stress in the Tropical Andes countries
Castries
Caracas
VENEZUELA
COLOMBIA
Paramaribo
Bogota
GUYANA
Equator
Quito
ECUADOR
BRAZIL
PERU
Water stress Annual average Percent of water withdrawal on water availability Less than 10
10 to 20 20 to 40 40 to 80 More than 80
Arid land (low water use) High seasonal variability Dams Capacity, billion cubic metres
Lima
BOLIVIA
1 10
50
135
La Paz
Sucre
Baseline water stress measures total annual water withdrawals (municipal, industrial, and agricultural) expressed as a percentage of the total annual available freshwater and groundwater. Higher values indicate more competition among users. Seasonal variability measures variation in water supply between months of the year.
Satellite images courtesy of NASA Earth Observatory, http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/ view.php?id=87363
Sources:WRI Aqueduct; FAO AQUASTAT; NASA GLDAS-2
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