Climate change is considered as one of the main factors controlling sediment fluxes in mountain belts. However, the effect of El Niño, which represents the primary cause of inter-annual climate variability in the South Pacific, on river erosion and sediment transport in the Western Andes remains unclear. Using an unpublished dataset of Suspended Sediment Yield (SSY) in Peru (1968–2012), we show that the annual SSY increases by 3–60 times during Extreme El Niño Events (EENE) compared to normal years. During EENE, 82% to 97% of the annual SSY occurs from January to April. We explain this effect by a sharp increase in river water discharge due to high precipitation rates and transport capacity during EENE. Indeed, sediments accumulate in the mountain and piedmont areas during dry normal years, and are then rapidly mobilized during EENE years. The effect of EENE on SSY depends on the t...

The geochemistry of riverine sediments exported to the oceans is important for paleo-hydro-climatic reconstruction. However, climate reconstruction requires a good understanding of the relationship between geochemistry and hydrological variability and sediment sources. In this study, we analyzed the major elements, the strontium‑neodymium radiogenic isotopes signatures (87Sr/86Sr and εNd) and the mineralogy of the suspended particulate matter (SPM) sampled monthly during two hydrologic years (2007–2008, a wet year, and 2010–2011, a normal hydrological year) upstream the Tumbes River outlet. The hydroclimate of this Ecuador-Peru binational basin is particularly sensitive to ENSO (El Niño Southern Oscillation) eventWhile mineralogy (dominated by illite) and the chemical alteration index (from 75 to 82) remain almost constant along the two hydrological years, 87Sr/86Sr (0.7115 to 0....

El macizo kárstico del Alto Mayo (San Martin, Perú) tiene una red de drenaje desarrollada, activa y poco estudiada. El propósito de este estudio es determinar los caudales de las resurgencias y sus cuencas hidrográficas correspondientes. Los datos hidrológicos y pluviométricos utilizados provienen de los observatorios locales (ANA y SENAMHI) y del proyecto KarstAm. Los caudales medidos alcanzan hasta 24 m3/s en promedio para algunas resurgencias, situándolas entre las más grandes de Sur América. La poca variabilidad temporal del caudal de uno de los acuíferos (Río Negro) muestra un comportamiento atípico en relación a los acuíferos kársticos, pareciéndose más a un acuífero poroso. Los caudales específicos de las cuencas topográficas son superiores a la tendencia regional, por lo que las cuencas hidrográficas han sido recalculadas suponiendo la presencia de captación...