Meteorological Droughts in the Peruvian Andes: Characteristics and Relationships with Climate Variability

Pareja-Quispe D.; Rodrigo Zanin P.; Afonso J.M.D.S. · Earth Systems and Environment (2026) · DOI: 10.1007/s41748-025-00831-8

Resumen

Abstract: The Peruvian Andes have been experiencing extreme droughts with strong impacts on urban water supply, hydroelectric production, agricultural activities, forest fires, among others. Thus, the objective of this study is to analyze the characteristics and likely causes of meteorological droughts in the Peruvian Andes to enhance understanding of this phenomenon. To achieve this, two meteorological indexes were calculated: the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) and the Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI), using the fifth-generation reanalysis data (ERA5), validated with in situ data in the study area, and spanning 83 years (1940-2022) at 1 and 12-month time-scales. The Peruvian Andes was divided into six regions. This study found that the western side of the Peruvian Andes is more affected in terms of frequency and intensity of droughts than the eastern side. Moreover, the positive phases of the Atlantic Multidecal Oscilation, the positive phases of the El Niño Southern Oscilation (region Niño 4), and negative temperature anomalies in the Tropical South Atlantic are the likely causes of most drought occurrences in the highlands of Peru. In this way, the prediction of these climate variabilities can help in public policies for the prevention and mitigation of the impacts of extreme droughts in the Peruvian Andes. © King Abdulaziz University and Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2025.

Instituciones: Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos