Peru and Bolivia Climate: Estimating Soil Organic Carbon using NASA Earth Observations to Inform Irrecoverable Carbon Reserve Management in Peru and Bolivia
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Aarti Arora↗
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Peru and Bolivia Climate: Estimating Soil Organic Carbon using NASA Earth Observations to Inform Irrecoverable Carbon Reserve Management in Peru and Bolivia
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Aarti Arora↗
Peru and Bolivia Climate: Estimating Soil Organic Carbon using NASA Earth Observations to Inform Irrecoverable Carbon Reserve Management in Peru and Bolivia
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Aarti Arora↗
Lambayeque Water Resources: Assessing Hydrologic Patterns Using NASA Earth Observations to Address Tree Mortality in Peru’s Coastal Mesquite Forests
The mesquite (Prosopis sp.) forests in Northwestern Peru have had a significant increase in tree mortality in the past fifty years. Within this time frame, 17% of the forest extent was lost and the forest saw an average annual declination rate of 0.33% (Ektvedt, Vetaas, & Lundberg, 2012). These habitats support the region's rich biodiversity and play an important role in local community economies. Several hydrologic causes for mesquite mortality have been hypothesized, but local researchers lack spatially comprehensive techniques to address the problem. While in situ research is currently being utilized in an attempt to explain this recent anomaly, landscape-level visualizations through remote sensing have not been produced to find connections between hydrologic trends and the health of Northwestern Peru’s mesquite forests. Climate Hazards Group InfraRed Precipitation with Station data and Global Land Data Assimilation System data were analyzed to assess hydrologic patterns pertaining to precipitation and soil moisture in the Lambayeque region of Peru. These data were then paired with vegetation indices derived from Terra Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (NPP) Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) to display how changing hydrologic patterns relate to the health of mesquite trees. These data were then compiled on a monthly basis over the 30-year study period to create a time series product, which was later referenced with background research to find the likely causes of recent forest decline. The results will assist in the Lambayeque Regional Government’s understanding of recent biological declination and will help them design strategies to mitigate forest decline in Lambayeque, Peru and surrounding regions.
Water Resources↗
Lambayeque Water Resources: Assessing Hydrologic Patterns Using NASA Earth Observations to Address Tree Mortality in Peru’s Coastal Mesquite Forests
The mesquite (Prosopi ssp.) forests in Northwestern Peru have had a significant increase in tree mortality in the past fifty years. Within this time frame, 17% of the forest extent was lost and the forest saw an average annual declination rate of 0.33% (Ektvedt, Vetaas, & Lundberg, 2012). These habitats support the region's rich biodiversity and play an important role in local community economies. Several hydrologic causes for mesquite mortality have been hypothesized, but local researchers lack spatially comprehensive techniques to address the problem. While in situ research is currently being utilized in an attempt to explain this recent anomaly, landscape-level visualizations through remote sensing have not been produced to find connections between hydrologic trends and the health of Northwestern Peru’s mesquite forests. Climate Hazards Group InfraRed Precipitation with Station dataand Global Land Data Assimilation Systemdata were analyzed to assess hydrologic patterns pertaining to precipitation and soil moisture in the Lambayeque region of Peru. These data were then paired with vegetation indices derived from Terra Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (NPP) Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) to display how changing hydrologic patterns relate to the health of mesquite trees. These data were then compiled on a monthly basis over the 30-year study period to create a time series product, which was later referenced with background research to find the likely causes of recent forest decline. The results will assist in the Lambayeque Regional Government’s understanding of recent biological declination and will help them design strategies to mitigate forest decline in Lambayeque, Peru and surrounding regions.
Water Resources↗
Tectonic implications of the microearthquake seismicity and fault plane solutions in southern Peru
Because the contortion in the seismic zone in southern Peru is aligned approximately parallel to the direction of relative plate motion, rather than perpendicular to the coast of Peru, the position of the contortion need not migrate with respect to the overriding South American plate as the Nazca plate subducts beneath it, and the flow in the surrounding asthenosphere could be in a steady state. In addition, the position of the contortion defines the northern boundary of the volcanic arc in southern Peru. The inference that a wedge of asthenospheric material must overlie the downgoing slab for subduction-related volcanism to occur is thereby strengthened.
Grange, F.↗
Peru Water Resources: Integrating NASA Earth Observations into Water Resource Planning and Management in Perus La Libertad Region
Developing countries often struggle with providing water security and sanitation services to their populations. An important aspect of improving security and sanitation is developing a comprehensive understanding of the country's water budget. Water For People, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing clean drinking water, is working with the Peruvian government to develop a water budget for the La Libertad region of Peru which includes the creation of an extensive watershed management plan. Currently, the data archive of the necessary variables to create the water management plan is extremely limited. Implementing NASA Earth observations has bolstered the dataset being used by Water For People, and the METRIC (Mapping EvapoTranspiration at High Resolution and Internalized Calibration) model has allowed for the estimation of the evapotranspiration values for the region. Landsat 8 imagery and the DEM (Digital Elevation Model) from the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) sensor onboard Terra were used to derive the land cover information, and were used in conjunction with local weather data of Cascas from Peru's National Meteorological and Hydrological Service (SENAMHI). Python was used to combine input variables and METRIC model calculations to approximate the evapotranspiration values for the Ochape sub-basin of the Chicama River watershed. Once calculated, the evapotranspiration values and methodology were shared Water For People to help supplement their decision support tools in the La Libertad region of Peru and potentially apply the methodology in other areas of need.
Padgett-Vasquez, Steve↗
Potentially active volcanoes of Peru - Observations using Landsat Thematic Mapper and Space Shuttle imagery
A synoptic study of the volcanoes of southern Peru (14-17 deg S), the northernmost part of the Central Volcanic Zone (CVZ 14-28 deg S) of the Andes, was conducted on the basis of Landsat TM images and color photography. The volcanoes were classified and their relative ages determined using subtle glacial-morphological features. Eight of them were postulated as potentially active. These are located in a narrow volcanic zone which probably reflects a steep dip of the Nazca plate through the zone of magma generation. The break in the trend of the volcanic arc possibly reflects the complexity of the crustal stress field above a major segment boundary in the subducting plate. There are also fields of mafic monogenetic centers in this region. In comparison with the southern part of the CVZ, the general paucity of older volcanic edifices north of 17 deg S suggested a more recent onset of volcanism, a possible result of the oblique subduction of the Nazca ridge and the consequent northward migration of its intersection with the Peru-Chile trench. This, together with the lack of any large silicic caldera systems and youthful dacite domes, suggested that there are real differences in the volcanic evolution of the two parts of the CVZ.
De Silva, S. L.↗
The Effect of Regional Climate Variability on Outbreak of Bartonellosis Epidemics in Peru
Bartonellosis is a vector-borne, highly fatal, emerging infectious disease, which has been known in the Peruvian Andes since the early 1600s and has continued to be a problem in many mountain valleys in Peru and other Andean South American countries. The causative bacterium, Bartonella bacilliformis (Bb), is believed to be transmitted to humans by bites of the sand fly Lutzomyia verrucarum. According to available medical records, the transmission of infection often occurs in river valleys of the Andes Mountains at an altitude between 800 and 3500 meters above sea level. It shows a seasonal pattern, which usually begins to rise in December, peaks in February and March, and is at its lowest from July until November. The epidemics of bartonellosis also vary interannually, occurring every four to eight years, and appear to be associated with the El Nino cycle. In response to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announcement on climate variability and human health, which was constructed to stimulate integrated multidisciplinary research in the area of climate variability and health interactions, we have conducted a study to investigate the relationship between the El Nino induced regional climate variation and the outbreak of bartonellosis epidemics in Peru. Two test sites, Caraz and Cusco, were selected for this study. According to reports, Caraz has a long-standing history of endemic transmission and Cusco, which is located about five degrees poleward of Caraz, had no recorded epidemics until the most recent 1997/1998 El Nino event. The goal of this study is to clarify the relative importance of climatic risk factors for each area that could be predicted in advance, thus allowing implementation of cost-effective control measures, which would reduce disease morbidity and mortality.
Zhou, Jia-Yu↗
Peru Health and Air Quality II: Leveraging Earth Observations and Health Data to Map Outbreak Risk and Inform Public Health Interventions for Zoonotic Disease Prevention
Peru's Madre de Dios region is a hotspot for dengue fever and leishmaniasis due to its tropical Amazonian climate. Though treatable, these zoonotic diseases are debilitating for under-resourced communities whose already close proximity to mosquito and sandfly vectors continues to increase via rapid urbanization and deforestation. Peru’s Ministries of Health (MINSA) and Environment (MINAM) are working to better understand the environmental factors amplifying the risk of dengue fever and leishmaniasis transmission. The first term of this project classified the land use and land cover of Madre de Dios’ 11 districts for 2010, 2015, and 2020 and identified a correlation between both diseases and urbanization. Our team expanded this analysis by creating urban-forest edge maps and incorporating climatic and topographic variables with data from Landsat 7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+), Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI), the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Integrated Multi-satellitE Retrievals for GPM (IMERG), and the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM). We determined these variables’ impacts on disease incidence by assessing existing literature and running regression models. Dengue fever correlated with urban-forest edge, urban area, slope, temperature, and precipitation. Leishmaniasis primarily correlated with forest-edge area and elevation, but lacking additional statistical significance prevented further work, a decision supported by the literature. Thus, the risk matrix and risk map which we scripted in R to visualize the risk of disease posed to districts alongside health post locations addresses only dengue fever. The results and products will inform MINSA and MINAM in public health interventions, resource distribution, and policy initiatives.
Jennifer Rogers↗
A photo-mosaic of western Peru from Gemini photography
Photo-mosaic of western Peru composed of photographs taken from Gemini 9
GEMINI 9 MISSION↗
Unexpected Source and Transport of Iron from the Deep Peru Margin
Iron is the most important micronutrient in the ocean, but the nature and magnitude of its sources and sinks to the ocean are poorly constrained. Here we assess our understanding of the sources and sinks of iron in margin environments by synthesizing observations from the U.S. GEOTRACES GP16 Eastern Tropical Pacific Zonal Transect (EPZT) cruise near the Peru margin. GP16 observations showed elevated dissolved iron (dFe) concentrations along the margin, but a larger westward plume of dFe at slope depths (1000-3000 m) in oxygenated waters, rather than at shelf depths (100-300 m) in oxygen deficient waters. We examine the potential explanations for this unexpected observation. Multiple tracers from GP16 suggest that sediment resuspension was important at slope depths, which would lead to enhanced benthic flux of dFe above what was previously measured. The difference in the apparent persistence and penetration of shelf vs slope plumes of dFe into the interior of the ocean likely results from faster removal rates of the shelf dFe compared to slope dFe. DFe sourced from the shelf was almost entirely in the dFe(II) form, whereas dFe sourced from the slope was almost entirely in the dFe(III) form. Although benthic dFe(II) diffuses into oxygen deficient overlying waters, there is still oxidation of dFe(II), which precipitates to particulate Fe(III). In contrast, the slope plume appears to persist in a stabilized dFe(III) form. We hypothesize that sediment porewaters with moderate organic carbon delivery to sediments and shallow oxygen penetration are especially good sources of persistent dFe to the water column.
iron↗
Aggregated carbon dioxide flux and hydrometeorology data from an Amazonian palm swamp peatland in Peru: 2018, 2019, and 2022
This dataset contains eddy covariance carbon dioxide flux and hydrometeorological measurements made in an Amazonian palm swamp peatland near Iquitos, Peru. These data have been aggregated from half-hourly observations that are available from AmeriFlux (https://ameriflux.lbl.gov/; site PE-QFR). These data files are CSV (comma separated values) format and can be imported using Matlab, R, or Excel. Three full years of data are reported (2018, 2019 and 2022) during which time there were large differences in annual net ecosystem carbon dioxide exchange. The gap was caused by instrument malfunction and extended delays in repairs because of the Covid-19 pandemic. This research was conducted to better understand the carbon cycle of tropical peatlands, and was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Biological and Environmental Research, Terrestrial Ecosystem Science Program, under Award Number DE-SC0020167.
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
Preliminary results of measurements of S sub q currents and the equatorial electrojet near Peru.
Electric currents in ionosphere measured by sounding rockets equipped with nuclear free precession magnetometers and Langmuir probes launched near Peru
SOUNDING ROCKET↗
Very High-Frequency (VHF) ionospheric scintillation fading measurements at Lima, Peru
During the spring equinox of 1970, scintillating signals at VHF (136.4 MHz) were observed at Lima, Peru. The transmission originated from ATS 3 and was observed through a pair of antennas spaced 1200 feet apart on an east-west baseline. The empirical data were digitized, reduced, and analyzed. The results include amplitude probability density and distribution functions, time autocorrelation functions, cross correlation functions for the spaced antennas, and appropriate spectral density functions. Results show estimates of the statistics of the ground diffraction pattern to gain insight into gross ionospheric irregularity size, and irregularity velocity in the antenna planes.
Blank, H. A.↗
Physical nature of the climatic and biological effects of the Peru current
Surface and depth flow processes and their effects on the behavior of the Peru current are considered in relation to climatological and biological effects for the entire western coast of South America. The mean annual coastal air temperature is from 2 deg to 6 deg below the norm and precipitation is extremely rare. An upwelling effect brings up the cold deep waters with their rich content of organic material responsible for the huge biological productivity of the region.
Gusev, A. M.↗
Fracture trace expression and analysis in radar imagery of rain forest terrain (Peru)
Mapping of minor lineaments from radar imagery of the rain forest in southeast Peru is biased due to the selective suppression of some topography which results from the observation geometry of the imaging radar system and the varied perception of lineaments on the imagery by different interpreters. Team analysis of the imagery compensates for several of the sources of bias, and results in the clear recognition of differing regimes within the regional fracture field in the study area.
Martin-Kaye, P. H. A.↗
Tectonic deformation of the Andes and the configuration of the subducted slab in central Peru: Results from a micro-seismic experiment
The vast majority of the microearthquakes recorded occurred to the east: on the Huaytapallana fault in the Eastern Cordillera or in the western margin of the sub-Andes. The sub-Andes appear to be the physiographic province subjected to the most intense seismic deformation. Focal depths for the crustal events here are as deep as 50 km, and the fault plane solutions, show thrust faulting on steep planes oriented roughly north-south. The Huaytapallana fault in the Cordillera Oriental also shows relatively high seismicity along a northeast-southwest trend that agrees with the fault scarp and the east dipping nodal plane of two large earthquakes that occurred on this fault in 1969. The recorded microearthquakes of intermediate depth show a flat seismic zone about 25 km thick at a depth of about 100 km. This agrees with the suggestion that beneath Peru the slab first dips at an angle of 30 deg to a depth of 100 km and then flattens following a quasi-horizontal trajectory. Fault plane solutions of intermediate depth microearthquakes have horizontal T axes oriented east-west.
Suarez, G.↗