Intense Rainfall in Peru: The Role of Global Warming

Prepared by: Asmita Dahal, GRIT

Intense rainfall in Peru has led to severe flooding and landslides, disrupting communities and economies. The rising temperatures accelerate the hydrological cycle, increasing atmospheric moisture and leading to more frequent heavy rains. Additionally, warming sea surface temperatures, particularly in the Pacific Ocean, enhance the El Niño phenomenon, contributing to extreme weather patterns. Melting glaciers in the Andes also alter natural water cycles, further intensifying precipitation. These changes have caused significant agricultural damage, health risks, and infrastructure destruction, highlighting the urgent need for both local adaptation strategies and global climate action.

Introduction

Peru is renowned around the globe for its diverse geographical features. However, in recent years, it has faced frequent occurrences of heavy rainfall. These events come with devastating impacts, including flooding and landslides, which largely disturb communities, economies, and ecosystems. According to scientific evidence, global warming is a critical factor influencing precipitation patterns in Peru. This report details the causes, impacts, and preventive measures while exploring the relationship between global warming and intense rainfall in Peru.

Causes of Intense Rainfall

• Global warming raises temperatures, increasing evaporation rates. Hence, the hydrological cycle is accelerated. A greater concentration of atmospheric moisture eventually leads to intense precipitation events in regions like Peru (IPCC, 2021).
• The increase in temperatures of oceans, mainly in the tropical Pacific, worsens the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is a periodic climate phenomenon. It involves changes in sea surface temperatures and atmospheric pressure over the tropical Pacific Ocean. It significantly impacts global weather patterns (IPCC, 2021). Elevated sea surface temperatures disrupt atmospheric patterns. Hence, it results in extreme rainfall events along the Peruvian coast (Tafur Anzualdo et al., 2024).
• Global warming is melting glaciers significantly in the Andes mountain range. This disturbance in natural water cycles, especially in high-altitude regions, changes precipitation patterns, contributing to intense rainfall (Dunnell, 2018).

Impacts of Intense Rainfall

• Heavy rainfall causes frequent flooding and landslides. These have great impacts, including loss of lives, infrastructure damage, and long-term social disruption. Because of insufficient drainage systems, urban areas are particularly vulnerable (IPCC, 2021).
• Intense rainfall massively affects agriculture. It washes away soil nutrients and crops, hampering food security and eventually contributing to economic losses for farmers (Dunnell, 2018).
• Floodwaters are breeding grounds for waterborne diseases like cholera and leptospirosis. As a result, the affected population is prone to severe health risks (Tafur Anzualdo et al., 2024).

Historical Overview

2009–2010: El Niño and Heavy Rainfall Peru experienced unusually heavy rainfall during the 2009–2010 El Niño event, mainly along its northern coast. This period marked widespread flooding and landslides. Hence disturbing communities and damaging infrastructure. Global warming worsened the warming of sea surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean, further intensifying the event (Trenberth & Fasullo, 2012).

2016: Coastal El Niño The 2016 Coastal El Niño caused heavy rainfall, especially in northern regions of Peru. This event was characterized by heavy precipitation because of localized warming of the Pacific Ocean near the Peruvian coast. Studies suggest that global warming contributed to an increase in ocean temperatures and atmospheric moisture levels, which added more severity to the event (Takahashi & Martínez, 2017).

2017: The "El Niño Costero" Phenomenon In 2017, Peru faced one of its most intense rainfall events. It is known as "El Niño Costero." This phenomenon affected over 1.1 million people due to severe flooding and landslides. The event was linked to a trend caused by global warming, an unusually warm sea surface temperature along the coast (Rodríguez-Morata et al., 2019).

2020–2021: Increased Rainfall Variability In recent years, there have been increased fluctuations in rainfall patterns. Some regions are experiencing intense rainfalls, while others are facing prolonged droughts. This variability is due to the impact of global warming on atmospheric circulation and the hydrological cycle (World Bank, 2021).

Link to Global Warming

Enhanced Hydrological Cycle Global warming has increased evaporation rates and atmospheric moisture content, eventually intensifying the hydrological cycle. This has caused more frequent and heavier downpour events in Peru (Wang & Liu, 2023).

Sea Surface Temperature Rise The warming of the Pacific Ocean has amplified the effects of El Niño and Coastal El Niño events, which are driven by global climate change. Because of warmer sea surface temperatures, there is increased precipitation along the Peruvian coast (Liu et al., 2016).

Extreme Weather Events Globally, climate change has been linked to a rise in the frequency and intensity of extreme weather conditions, including intense rainfall in Peru. As global temperatures rise over the years, this trend is expected to continue (IPCC, 2021).

Prevention and Adaptation Strategies

• Building climate-resilient infrastructure is essential to prevent the adverse impacts of intense rainfall. Infrastructures such as flood barriers, retention basins, and improved drainage systems can be built (IPCC, 2021).
• For regulating water cycles, reducing soil erosion, and decreasing flooding risks, reforestation and watershed protection efforts can be made (Dunnell, 2018).
• It is necessary to find the root causes of global warming and limit its impacts on extreme weather events. To this end, global climate policies aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions can be enforced. (Tafur Anzualdo et al., 2024).

Conclusion

Intense rainfall in Peru reflects the interplay between natural phenomena and human-induced climate change. Global warming intensifies precipitation events and their adverse impacts, amplifying processes such as the hydrological cycle and ENSO. To address this challenge, coordinated strategies of local adaptation and robust global efforts are required.

References

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