Bellisario et al. (2026) Meltwater Contribution and Mass Balance of the Juncal Norte Glacier During an Extreme Drought Year in the Dry Andes of Central Chile

⚠️ Warning: This summary was generated from the abstract only, as the full text was not available.

Identification

• Journal: Water
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-04-09
• Authors: Antonio Bellisario, Jason R. Janke, Sam Ng
• DOI: 10.3390/w18080897

Research Groups

Not explicitly stated, but likely involves glaciology and hydrology research groups focused on the Dry Andes of central Chile.

Short Summary

This study provided the first glacier-specific annual melt and runoff estimate for the Juncal Norte Glacier during a megadrought, finding that glacier melt contributed approximately 30% of proglacial discharge despite covering only 2.7% of the basin, underscoring its critical and climate-sensitive role in water supply.

Objective

• To provide the first glacier-specific annual melt and runoff estimate for the Juncal Norte Glacier during mature megadrought conditions (2018–2019).

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Juncal Norte Glacier (33°00′ S, 70°06′ W) and its proglacial sub-basin within the Juncal Basin, a headwater watershed of the Aconcagua River, central Chile. The study focused on the glacier's lower ablation zone (2900–4000 m above sea level).
• Temporal Scale: The primary study period was 2018–2019, representing mature megadrought conditions. Contextual data refers to an ongoing megadrought since 2010 and streamflow reductions relative to pre-1990 baselines.

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Temperature index (positive degree day, PDD) model for mass balance estimation. A closure method was used for basin runoff evaluation.
• Data sources: Automatic weather station (AWS) air temperature data, glacier hypsometry, observed annual discharge at the proglacial sub-basin, precipitation, and snow water equivalent (SWE) data.

Main Results

• Modeled glacier melt for 2018–2019 contributed approximately 30% of observed annual discharge at the proglacial sub-basin, despite the glacier covering only 2.7% of the total basin area.
• The lower ablation zone (2900–4000 m above sea level), comprising 30% of the glacier area, generated 90% of the total melt volume.
• A +1 °C temperature increase was projected to raise glacier-wide melt by 21.4%, indicating high climatic sensitivity.
• These results confirm the glacier's critical but increasingly vulnerable buffering role for downstream water availability in the Dry Andes.

Contributions

• Provided the first glacier-specific annual melt and runoff estimate for the Juncal Norte Glacier during megadrought conditions.
• Quantified the disproportionately critical contribution of glacier melt to downstream water availability in a semi-arid, drought-stricken region.
• Highlighted the high climatic sensitivity and increasingly vulnerable buffering role of glaciers in the Dry Andes.

Funding

Not explicitly stated in the provided text.

Citation

@article{Bellisario2026Meltwater,
  author = {Bellisario, Antonio and Janke, Jason R. and Ng, Sam},
  title = {Meltwater Contribution and Mass Balance of the Juncal Norte Glacier During an Extreme Drought Year in the Dry Andes of Central Chile},
  journal = {Water},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.3390/w18080897},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.3390/w18080897}
}