Surrounded by the majestic Andes, 3,812 meters above sea level, the enormous Lake Titicaca lies on the border between Peru and Bolivia. It is 190 kilometers long and several of the 42 islands are inhabited. The area of 8,372 square kilometers means that it is roughly the same size as Rogaland county. Due to the temperature changes, however, the sea has become smaller, which worries both the local population and scientists, reports Reuters. In some places it is becoming increasingly difficult to maneuver around in a boat. Photo: CLAUDIA MORALES / Reuters / NTB Less rainfall The falling water level means that large areas that used to be seas are now just dry land. This has consequences for industries such as tourism, fishing and agriculture, on which the population is completely dependent. Three million people live around the lake. – We don’t know what to do until December, because the water will only get lower, says Nazario Charca to CNN. It is not unusual for the water level to change during the year, but this year the decline has been significantly greater than usual. We are in the “cold” half of the year in South America, but the record-warm temperatures have led to more evaporation than usual. Sixto Flores of Peru’s Meteorological Institute says there was 49 percent less rainfall from August 2022 to March 2023, which is usually the period of heaviest rain, when water levels tend to recover. By December, the water level will probably be the lowest on record, if evaporation continues as it usually does in the coming months. – This is very serious, says Flores. Temperature in the world since 1880 compared to the average in the period 1991-2020 +0.5°C compared to normal? Click for explanation normal temperature 18801900192019401960198020002020Go to news’s Climate Status Why are most years blue and colder than normal? This is because all years are now compared with a new normal, i.e. the average weather in the 30-year period 1991-2020. These 30 years have been unusually warm. Most other years are therefore colder than normal. Until recently, researchers used a normal period that ran from 1961-1990. In these years it was relatively cold. It’s been quite a while since the 1960s and the new normal allows us to compare the weather with the climate (normal) that people actually experience today. The normal period is determined by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), and is used in all countries . In this way, we can compare the weather in Norway with other countries and we can measure changes across the globe. How can you calculate one temperature for the whole world? This number is the result of a complicated calculation. Measurements are made with thermometers both on land and on the sea surface (at sea the thermometers are attached to buoys). In some places the thermometers are close together, in other places they are far apart. Using a statistical method, the researchers are able to give the measurements different weights, so that all areas are equally important: The data used in this graph comes from the American NOAA. They have divided the globe into squares of 5° x 5° and calculate one temperature for each square. Then they can again work their way up to a global figure, for each month or for each year. They can also make figures for the temperature only over the ocean or only over land, or for the northern and southern hemispheres. The lines at the poles are smaller than along the equator due to the curvature of the globe. The researchers also take this into account in their calculations. Others, such as NASA or the Hadley Centre, calculate in slightly different ways than NOAA. Therefore, there are often small differences between the various data sets. In any case, the trend they show is the same: since 1880, the world has become warmer. Revealing satellite images The institute has examined satellite images from the last 20 years, which show that the lake loses 120 billion liters of water a year. Bolivian hydrologists predict that the water level in December will most likely be more than 60 centimeters lower than the level for drought warnings, writes the Associated Press news agency. – The natural phenomena La Niña and El Niño came unusually early this year and were particularly powerful as a result of climate change, says Lucia Walper. The local fishing industry is already struggling with a decline in the fish population as a result of pollution and overfishing. Demonstrations and dying wildlife The tourism industry has also noticed that many people have been scared away from coming to the area after large demonstrations and unrest in connection with the row over former president Dina Boluarte. A policeman was burned to death in the town of Juliaca, which is right on the lake. Despite traditionally a lot of tourism, the region is not particularly prosperous. After the last major drought, in 1991, many emigrated due to economic collapse and food shortages. In several places on Lake Titicaca, people live on floating islands made of reeds. They make a living from the fish and from selling handicraft products to tourists. They are thus hit hard in several ways. Titicaca also has many animal species that can only be found there, so-called local (endemic) species. Both the titicaca frog, which lives in the bottom mud in deep water, and the bird titicaca diver are registered as threatened with extinction on the international red list. The Titicaca frog lives in deep water. For so long. It is in danger of extinction. Photo: CARLOS MANDUJANO / AFP / NTB The Inca culture is supposed to originate from Lake Titicaca, and Thor Heyerdahl, according to the Kon-Tiki Museum, was helped by Aymara people to build “Ra II” – which was much more buoyant than “Ra”. Now they have less and less water to sail on at home.
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Serious development for South America’s largest lake, Lake Titicaca – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
