ENWARICL / Energy and water budget studies in the arid area of chile

  • Contact: Dr. N. Kalthoff
  • Project Group: IMK-TRO
  • Funding: FZK, IB
ENergy and Water budget studies in the ARId area of ChiLe

Project Summary

The water cycle and its phase changes are one of the most important components of the atmospheric energy cycle of the Earth. Furthermore, the available water builds the fundamental basis for the existence and diversity of the biosphere and of food production. Especially in arid or semiarid regions of the Earth the water budget and the available water are important factors because the ecosystem reacts very sensitive to small changes in precipitation and available water.
The Elqui valley in Chile at 30° S is located in the southern part of the arid north of Chile and in future the available water may become a critical factor because the populations in the valley is rapidly growing and the valley is more and more cultivated with irrigated plants. On the other hand the analysis of historical precipitation data shows that the precipitation between 30° S and 40° S is decreasing. Therefore the actual distribution of the energy- , and water balance components, as well as the soil moisture may become an important input for water management concepts of local authorities and for the new research centre ‘Centro de estudios avanzados en zonas aridas (CEAZA)’.
The aim of the project is to investigate the energy- and water balance as well as the climate of the Elqui valley, based on continuous surface measurements which were performed from 1999 to 2003 and on intensive measurements including radiosoundings which were performed in 2000, 2001 and 2002.

 
View of the Elqui valley

Surface measurement station at
La Laguna/upper Elqui valley in the Andes
Surface measurement station at
San Carlos/Elqui valley

Publications
Title Image Source Short Description
6.th International Conference on Southern Hemisphere, Meteorology and Oceanography, Santiago/Chile, 3. – 7. April, 2000
EGS-Tagung, Nizza, 21. – 26. April, 2002
Journal Appl. Meteorol. 41, 953-970 (2002)
Posterpräsentation & "Extended Abstract" bei der Deutsch-Österreichisch-Schweizerischen Meteorologentagung (DACH) 2004, Karlsruhe, 7. – 10.09.2004

Posterpräsentation & "Extended Abstract" bei der Deutsch-Österreichisch-Schweizerischen Meteorologentagung (DACH) 2004, Karlsruhe, 7. – 10.09.2004 (12.01.01)

Participating Institutions

  • Centro de Estudios Avanzados en Zonas Aridas (CEAZA) 
  • Department of Mathematics, University of La Serena (ULS) / CEAZA
  • Department of Social Sciences, University of La Serena (ULS) / CEAZA
  • Department of Engineering, University of La Serena (ULS) / CEAZA
  • Institut für Meteorologie und Klimaforschung (IMK-TRO), FZK
  • Institut für Wissenschaftliches Rechnen (IWR), FZK