Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Changes of erosive rainfall for El Niño and La Niña years in the northern Andean highlands of Peru

  • Published:
Climatic Change Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Information related to rainfall erosivity in the Andes is scarce. This study was carried out to determine the characteristics of rainfall events at the La Encañada watershed, northern Peru, using daily rainfall data from the 1995 to 2000 period that included all the El Niño and Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phases. Three weather stations were installed within the study area, at the top, middle and bottom of the watershed. We analysed the total amount, duration, intensity, kinetic energy and probability of return of rainfall events. In general, 80% of the rainfall events at watershed level had an average rainfall intensity lower than 2.5 mm h−1 and only 4% had an average intensity larger than 7.5 mm h−1. Rainfall erosivity registered at the bottom of the watershed was slightly higher than in the rest of the area. The highest intensities were observed during an El Niño year whereas a La Niña year was characterized by the highest amount of total rainfall compared to the other ENSO phases and by the low intensity rain events. Simulations using the WEPP model estimated higher sediment yield and runoff for the bottom of the watershed during a La Niña year versus El Niño or Neutral years. Even when the analysed rainfall data was too limited to conclude erosion and runoff during any ENSO phase, the simulated results showed us the trend of the behaviour of rainfall erosivity under the ENSO phases at different locations.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Angima SD, Stott DE, O’Neill MK, Ong CK, Weesies GA (2003) Soil erosion prediction using RUSLE for central Kenyan highland conditions. Agric Ecosys Environ 97:295–308

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baigorria GA (2005) Climate interpolation for land resources and land use studies in mountainous regions. Ph.D. thesis dissertation, Wageningen University and Research Centre, Wageningen, The Netherlands, p 168

  • Baigorria GA, Romero CC (2007) Assessment of erosion hotspots in a watershed: integrating the WEPP model and GIS in a case study in the Peruvian Andes. Environ Model Soft 22:1175–1183

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baigorria GA, Villegas EB, Trebejo I, Carlos JF, Quiroz R (2004) Atmospheric transmissivity: distribution and empirical estimation around the Central Andes. Int J Climatol 24:1121–1136

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barry RG, Chorley RJ (1980) Atmósfera, tiempo y clima. Ediciones Omega, S.A. Barcelona, España, p 395

    Google Scholar 

  • CPC–NOAA (2006) Cold and warm episodes by season. Available at http://www.cpc.noaa.gov/products/analysis_monitoring/ensostuff/ensoyears.shtml. Cited 17 Aug 2006

  • Flanagan DC, Nearing MA (1995) USDA Water erosion prediction project (WEPP). WEPP user summary. NSERL report no. 10. USDA–ARS National Soil Erosion Research Laboratory, West Lafayette, IN

  • Gonzales de Olarte E, Trivelli C (1999) Andenes y desarrollo sustentable. In: Instituto de Estudios Peruanos (IEP) y Consorcio para el Desarrollo Sostenible de la Ecoregion Andina, CONDESAN, p 219 (in Spanish)

  • Hoogmoed WB (1999) Tillage for soil and water conservation in the semi-arid tropics. Ph.D. thesis dissertation, Wageningen University and Research Centre, Wageningen, The Netherlands, p 184

  • Horton RE (1945) Erosional development of streams and their drainage basins: a hydrophysical approach to quantitative morphology. Bull Geol Soc Am 56:275–370

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hoyos N, Waylen PR, Jaramillo A (2005) Seasonal and spatial patterns of erosivity in a tropical watershed of the Colombian Andes. J Hydro 314:177–191

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hudson NW (1981) Soil conservation. In: Morgan RCP (1995 ed) Soil erosion and conservation. Longman Group UK Limited, UK, p 198

  • Lal R, Elliot W (1994) Erodibility and erosivity. In: Lal R (ed) Soil erosion research methods. Soil and Water Conservation Society and St. Lucie Press, Florida, p 340

  • Linsley R (1977) Hidrología para ingenieros. Ediciones Castilla, Barcelona, España, p 168

    Google Scholar 

  • Morgan RCP (1995) Soil erosion and conservation. Longman Group UK Limited, London, p 198

    Google Scholar 

  • National Weather Service (2000) Federal meteorological handbook no.1: surface weather observations and reports. In: Whiteman CD (ed) Mountain meteorology. Fundamentals and applications. Oxford University Press, Oxford, p 355

    Google Scholar 

  • Nearing MA, Lane LJ, Lopes VL (1994) Modeling soil erosion. In: Lal R (ed) Soil erosion research methods, 2nd edn. Soil and Water Conservation Society and St. Lucie Press, Florida, pp 127–156

  • Oklahoma Climatological Survey (1996) Determining return periods for rainfall. Available at http://okfirst.ocs.ou.edu/train/casestudies/18aug97/return.html. Cited 17 Aug 2006

  • Renard KG, Foster GR, Weisses GA, McCool DK, Yoder DC (1997) Predicting soil erosion by water: a guide to conservation planning with the revised universal soil loss equation (RUSLE). USDA Handbook 703, Washington, DC

  • Romero CC (2005) A multi-scale approach for erosion assessment in the Andes. Ph.D. thesis dissertation, Wageningen University and Research Centre, Wageningen, The Netherlands, p 147

  • Romero CC, Baigorria GA, Stroosnijder L (2007) Interrill and rill erodibility in the northern Andean highlands. Catena 70:105–113

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rufloff W (1981) World-climates: with tables of climatic data and practical suggestions. Wissenschaftliche Verlagsgesellschaft mbH, Stuttgart

    Google Scholar 

  • Ruppenthal M, Leihner DE, Hilger TH, Castillo JA (1996) Rainfall erosivity and erodibility of inceptisols in the southwest Colombian Andes. J Exp Agric 32:91–101

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Saavedra C (2005) Estimating spatial patterns of soil erosion and deposition in the Andean region using geo-information techniques. A case study in Cochabamba, Bolivia. Ph.D. thesis dissertation, Wageningen University and Research Centre, Wageningen, The Netherlands, p 244

  • Schawb G, Fangmeier D, Elliot W, Frevert R (1993) Soil and water conservation engineering. John Wiley and Sons, Inc., New York, p 507

    Google Scholar 

  • Sivakumar MVK, Wallace JS (1991) Soil water balance in the Sudano-Sahelian zone: need, relevance and objectives of the workshop. In: Sivakumar MVK, Wallace JS, Renard C, Giroux C (eds) Soil water balance in the Sudano-Sahelian zone. IHAS Publication, UK

    Google Scholar 

  • Stroosnijder L, Hoogmoed WB (1984) Crust formation on sandy soils in the Sahel. II, Tillage and its effect on the water balance. Soil Till Res 4:321–337

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wischmeier WH, Smith DD (1958) Rainfall energy and its relationship to soil loss. Trans Am Geophys Union 39:285–291

    Google Scholar 

  • Wischmeier WH, Smith DD (1978) Predicting rainfall erosion losses. U.S. Department of Agriculture, USA (Agriculture handbook no. 537)

  • Whiteman CD (2000) Mountain meteorology. Fundamentals and applications. Oxford University Press, NY, p 355

    Google Scholar 

  • Xie Y, Liu BY, Zhang WB (2001) Study on standard of erosive rainfall. In: Abstracts of the ASA–CSSA–SSSA annual meetings, Charlotte, NC

  • Yu B (1998) Rainfall erosivity and its estimation for Australia’s tropics. Aust J Soil Res 36:143–165

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yu B, Rosewell CJ (1996) An assessment of a daily rainfall erosivity model for New South Wales. Aust J Soil Res 34:139–152

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Author notes

  1. Consuelo C. Romero

    Present address: Frazier Rogers Hall, Agricultural and Biological Engineering Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Suelos, Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina, Lima, 12, Peru

    Consuelo C. Romero

  2. Agricultural and Biological Engineering Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA

    Guillermo A. Baigorria

  3. Department of Environmental Sciences, Wageningen University, 6700 AA, Wageningen, The Netherlands

    Leo Stroosnijder

Authors
  1. Consuelo C. Romero
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Guillermo A. Baigorria
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Leo Stroosnijder
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Guillermo A. Baigorria.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Romero, C.C., Baigorria, G.A. & Stroosnijder, L. Changes of erosive rainfall for El Niño and La Niña years in the northern Andean highlands of Peru. Climatic Change 85, 343–356 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-007-9301-0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-007-9301-0

Keywords

Search

Navigation