Abstract ID: 3.13087 | Not reviewed | Requested as: Talk | TBA | TBA

In 2024, South America experienced a severe drought that extended from the Amazon to the Andes. The most pronounced effects were observed in the Amazon, where it was classified as the most extreme drought in the past 100 years. In the Andes, significant impacts were reported in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. However, the reliability of global modeling data decreases as it approaches the Tropical Andes due to the high variability of these ecosystems and the scarcity of observed data. Consequently, the effects of this drought on headwater basins in this region remain poorly documented. This study describes the drought conditions experienced by the Páramo ecosystem in a headwater basin located Southern Ecuadorian Andes. Precipitation, streamflow, and vegetation data were analyzed to characterize drought conditions. Prior to 2024, the average duration of streamflow droughts was 29 days, with a maximum of 95 days, while precipitation droughts averaged 19 days, with a maximum of 53 days. In this region, there was minimal lag between the onset the streamflow droughts. During 2024, both precipitation and streamflow droughts persisted for approximately 150 days. On the other hand, the vegetation cover, mainly tussock grass and cushion plants, showed a substantial change. Nevertheless, tussock grass showed a rapid recovery after the first rainfall events. The drought also led to severe downstream water rationing, and at the national level, power outages lasting up to 18 hours due to critically low water levels in hydroelectric reservoirs. In regions with limited historical drought information, this study provides a crucial reference for understanding the impacts of an extreme drought event on both ecosystems and human populations.