| Terrestrial ecosystems in southern Ecuador are strongly affected by
interannual climate variations. This holds especially true for the episodic
El Niño events, which cause above-normal precipitation in the coastal
region of Ecuador and below normal values in the eastern provinces of the
Amazon basin (Bendix, 1999). For the transitional zone between these two
extremes, which consists mainly of the andean slopes and larger interandean
basins the effect on interannual climate variability is not well known.
The PREDICT project monitors regional climate in the provinces of Loja and
Zamora-Chinchipe (4° S/79° W), where a strong gradients of
precipitation are observed. Between the eastern slopes of the Cordillera
Real and the dry valley of Catamayo, which are only 70km apart, rain totals
drop from over 4000 mm to only 300 mm per year. These two extremes represent
the both sides of the Andean mountain chain and are completely covered by
the study area, which is 120 km in diameter. Methods used are a combination
of point measurements (climate stations) and remote sensing devices (weather
radar, satellite imagery), which enable a high-resolution real-time
observation of rain distribution and underlying processes. By this, ideal
conditions are given to monitor a potential shift of the transition zone
between below-average and above-average rainfall situated in this region, if
another ENSO-anomaly occurs. Furthermore variability of atmospheric nutrient
inputs is analysed within the scope of the project, to assess further
impacts on this ecosystem. |