Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Examining The Effect Of El Nino Phenomena And Pacific Sea Surface Temperature On The Climate Of The Glacierized White Mountains In Peru, Emily Reardon

Honors Program Theses and Projects

The purpose of this study is to determine if there is a correlation between the El Ni~no Southern Oscillation, sea surface temperatures (SST) and the climate of the Rio Santa Basin. This study is an important step in understanding the dynamics of the glaciers as a critical control on hydrological features in alpine Andes Valleys. Temperature and precipitation measurements pulled from ground based weather stations in the Rio Santa drainage basin were aggregated, synchronized, and correlated with the changes in the Pacific ocean SST o the coast of Peru and into the central Pacific. The expectation is that we will …