Hydrographic shifts in coastal waters reflect climate-driven changes in hydrological regimes across Northwestern Patagonia.

ABSTRACT: Climate-driven changes in freshwater inputs have been shown to affect the structure and function of coastal ecosystems. We evaluated changes in the influence of river runoff on coastal systems of Northwestern Patagonia (NWP) over recent decades (1993-2021) by combined analysis of long-term streamflow time series, hydrological simulation, satellite-derived and reanalysis data on sea surface conditions (temperature, turbidity, and salinity). Significant decreases in minimum streamflow across a zone spanning six major river basins were evident at weekly, monthly, and seasonal scales. These changes have been most pronounced in mixed-regime northern basins (e.g., Puelo River) but appear to be progressing southward to rivers characterised by a nival regime. In the adjacent two-layer inner sea, r

SUBMITTER: Leon-Munoz J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11375211 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature