Thin and ephemeral snow shapes melt and runoff dynamics in the Peruvian Andes

article Thin and ephemeral snow shapes melt and runoff dynamics in the Peruvian Andes published yes Catriona Louise Fyffe author 001b0422-8d15-11ed-bc51-cab6c037a228 Emily Potter author Evan Miles author Thomas Shaw author 3caa3f91-1f03-11ee-96ce-e0e553054d6e0000-0001-7640-6152 Michael Mccarthy author 22a2674a-61ce-11ee-94b5-d18813baf16f Andrew Orr author Edwin Loarte author Katy Medina author Simone Fatichi author Rob Hellström author Michel Baraer author Emilio Mateo author Alejo Cochachin author Matthew Westoby author Francesca Pellicciotti author b28f055a-81ea-11ed-b70c-a9fe7f7b0e700000-0002-5554-8087 FrPe department ExPloring the ecohydrological Impacts of a changing Cryosphere in the Peruvian Andes project The snow and glaciers of the Peruvian Andes provide vital water supplies in a region facing water scarcity and substantial glacier change. However, there remains a lack of understanding of snow processes and quantification of the contribution of melt to runoff. Here we apply a distributed glacio-hydrological model over the Rio Santa basin to disentangle the role of the cryosphere in the Andean water cycle. Only at the highest elevations (>5000 m a.s.l.) is the snow cover continuous; at lower elevations, the snowpack is thin and ephemeral, with rapid cycles of snowfall and melt. Due to the large catchment area affected by ephemeral snow, its contribution to catchment inputs is substantial (23% and 38% in the wet and dry season, respectively). Ice melt is crucial in the mid-dry season (up to 44% of inputs). Our results improve estimates of water fluxes and call for further process-based modelling across the Andes. https://research-explorer.ista.ac.at/download/19839/19862/2025_CommEarthEnvir_Fyffe.pdf application/pdfno Springer Nature2025 eng Communications Earth and Environment 2662-4435 40486185 00150393240000210.1038/s43247-025-02379-x 6 Fyffe, C. L., Potter, E., Miles, E., Shaw, T., McCarthy, M., Orr, A., … Pellicciotti, F. (2025). Thin and ephemeral snow shapes melt and runoff dynamics in the Peruvian Andes. Communications Earth and Environment. Springer Nature. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02379-x">https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02379-x</a> Fyffe, Catriona Louise, et al. “Thin and Ephemeral Snow Shapes Melt and Runoff Dynamics in the Peruvian Andes.” Communications Earth and Environment, vol. 6, 434, Springer Nature, 2025, doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02379-x">10.1038/s43247-025-02379-x</a>. Fyffe CL, Potter E, Miles E, et al. Thin and ephemeral snow shapes melt and runoff dynamics in the Peruvian Andes. Communications Earth and Environment. 2025;6. doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02379-x">10.1038/s43247-025-02379-x</a> C.L. Fyffe, E. Potter, E. Miles, T. Shaw, M. McCarthy, A. Orr, E. Loarte, K. Medina, S. Fatichi, R. Hellström, M. Baraer, E. Mateo, A. Cochachin, M. Westoby, F. Pellicciotti, Communications Earth and Environment 6 (2025). C. L. Fyffe et al., “Thin and ephemeral snow shapes melt and runoff dynamics in the Peruvian Andes,” Communications Earth and Environment, vol. 6. Springer Nature, 2025. Fyffe, Catriona Louise, Emily Potter, Evan Miles, Thomas Shaw, Michael McCarthy, Andrew Orr, Edwin Loarte, et al. “Thin and Ephemeral Snow Shapes Melt and Runoff Dynamics in the Peruvian Andes.” Communications Earth and Environment. Springer Nature, 2025. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02379-x">https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02379-x</a>. Fyffe CL, Potter E, Miles E, Shaw T, McCarthy M, Orr A, Loarte E, Medina K, Fatichi S, Hellström R, Baraer M, Mateo E, Cochachin A, Westoby M, Pellicciotti F. 2025. Thin and ephemeral snow shapes melt and runoff dynamics in the Peruvian Andes. Communications Earth and Environment. 6, 434. 198392025-06-15T22:01:28Z2025-09-30T12:48:43Z