Rain

Rain is a very interesting topic concerning climate change, specifically in Chile, because typically it is seen as a positive thing. It was especially interesting to hear about in the desert. Rain can’t be a bad thing in the desert, right? Wrong.

 

The Atacama Desert is a desert located in the northern portion of Chile. This region is the hottest and driest place on Earth, with some areas not experiencing rain for thousands of years; Until now. This area has been compared to the surface of the Moon and Mars so it represents a place with lots of scientific opportunity. We had the opportunity to talk with astrobiologist, Armando Azua-Bustos about the effects of rain in the Atacama Desert. The introduction of excessive amounts of water to this extremely dry land is destroying this delicate and unique environment. Microorganisms that have adapted to survive with nearly zero water are now dying due to too much water. This means that these tiny life forms that are likely to be the closest representation of life that could be found elsewhere in space, is quickly dying off. Many organisms that are used for antibiotics and other medications can be found in the desert as well, putting our entire healthcare system at risk of collapse without the necessary treatments. All of a sudden, rain does not seem like such a good thing.

 

As shown in the ocean section on this website, water temperature is rising. This leads to more evaporation and therefore more clouds and rain. All of this water collects in high densities in the sky and comes down all at once in an extreme rain event. Rain that lasts for only one to two hours can dump massive amounts of water on a small area, resulting in detrimental flooding events. Everywhere we visited, from Santiago to San Pedro, have been struggling with flooding more and more over the years. The majority of the photos in the slide show at the bottom of the page are examples of the flood mitigation tactics we saw around Chile. Most of these systems are very new because the rain events are a new issue. In Codpa, a small village located in a valley in the highlands of the Atacama Desert, there are brand new flood walls that are yet to be tested. These were installed after a massive flooding event occurred in the village a few years ago. Flooding only occurs every few years, if at all, so the citizens of Codpa are simply waiting for a flood to occur to test their new system.