DYNAMICS OF PRECIPITATION IN TRANSITION: THE WATER SOURCE FOR THE GALAPAGOS ARCHIPELAGO UNDER CLIMATE CHANGE - PROYECTO DARWIN

THE GALA´PAGOS ARCHIPELAGO IS KNOWN FOR ITS UNIQUE AND HIGH ENDEMIC BIODIVERSITY. IT IS LISTED AS A UNESCO'S WORLD HERITAGE SITE, WORLD HERITAGE IN DANGER (2007), AS 'MOST IRREPLACEABLE PROTECTED AREAS' AND A 'FLAGSHIP' AREA FOR CONSERVATION AND AS A 'PRIORITY ECOREGION FOR GLOBAL CONSERVATION'. CLIMATOLOGICALLY, GALA´PAGOS IS OF GREAT INTEREST BECAUSE ITS LOCATION IN THE CENTRE OF THE ENSO PHENOMENON, AFFECTING THE ARCHIPELAGO WITH STRONG QUASI-PERIODIC OSCILLATIONS IN PRECIPITATION, SEA SURFACE AND AIR TEMPERATURES. THE CLIMATE OF THE ARCHIPELAGO IS NON-UNDERSTOOD BECAUSE DATABASES ON CLIMATE AND ESPECIALLY ON PRECIPITATION OF GALA´PAGOS ARE LACKING. THE PROJECT WILL ADDRESS THE FOLLOWING RESEARCH QUESTIONS: 1. WHAT IS THE SPATIAL EXTENT OF THE GARU´A ZONE, AND HOW WILL THIS ZONE RESPOND TO INTENSIFIED CLIMATE EVENTS (E.G. ENSO LIKE) SURROGATING CLIMATE CHANGE? 2. WHAT IS THE WATER POTENTIAL OF THE GARU´A ZONE IN COMPARISON TO THE WARM SEASON CONVECTIVE RAINFALL, AND HOW WILL PRECIPITATION CHANGE UNDER MORE EXTREME CLIMATES? 3. HOW IS THE FORMATION OF WARM SEASON AND COLD SEASON GARU´A PRECIPITATION DISTRIBUTED IN SPACE DUE TO THE COMPLEX INTERPLAY OF TOPOGRAPHY, SST AND CROSS-SCALE ATMOSPHERIC CIRCULATION PATTERNS? 4. HOW AND WHERE WILL CLIMATE CHANGE MODIFY THE CROSS-SCALE CIRCULATION PATTERNS, AND THUS, FORMATION OF PRECIPITATION?

FUERA DE CONVOCATORIA FONDOS EXTERNOS