A Synoptic Snapshot of the Shullcas River Watershed in Peru: Glacier Melt Contribution to Stream Discharge and Investigating Climate Change in a Glacierized Landscape
The Shullcas River watershed is a glacierized mountainous region of the Central Andes that has experienced rapid rates of glacier recession over the past 25-30 years. The Shullcas River water is used for small-scale agricultural irrigation and drinking water for the country's 8th largest city, Huancayo, Peru. My research interests are particular to the intersection of human and natural systems, and I investigate glacier recession, climate change, and water resources in the watershed. Using a mixed methods approach to research during eight weeks of fieldwork, I conducted synoptic scale hydrochemical sampling throughout the watershed while carrying out ten semi-structured interviews with a diverse set of water users from the region. As a result of this investigation we now have an initial estimate of the Huaytapallana glacier melt contribution to the Shullcas River during the dry season in 2014 using the Hydrochemical Basin Characterization Method. Additionally, the semi-structured interviews reveal that many participants noted changes in the hydrologic cycle in recent years. The interviews also show participants’ experiences of climate change within the context of glacier recession, specifically through the use of narrative and memories of particular life events near or related to the Huaytapallana glaciers.
