Community | July 21, 2011 | 3 comments

Rare snowstorm in South American desert imperils 40,000 llamas and alpacas; strands thousands

source: http://newsfeed.time.com/2011/07/13/bolivian-snowstorm-imperils-more-than-40000-llamas-and-a...

JanforGore
As Bolivia suffered its worst snowstorms in 20 years, thousands of people were left stranded and commerce was slowed to a grinding halt in the usually-dry region of Potosi.

But throughout this human drama, another story was unfolding that could have as profound an effect on the Bolivian economy as the loss of crops from the storms: the snow has destroyed the food sources for approximately 41,000 camelids, according to the governor of Potosi. These llamas — the official animal of Bolivia — and alpacas were already suffering a diminished population after an estimated 20% died from droughts in 2010. Many more could now be affected by their pastures being buried underneath heavy snow.

Camelids are economically and cultural important to the rural areas of Bolivia which use them as pack animals, food, and their sources of wool.

With 7,000 locals and tourists stranded in the snow, the Bolivian authorities have requested assistance from neighboring countries in the form of equipment; the government only owns two helicopters according to some reports.

Read more: http://newsfeed.time.com/2011/07/13/bolivian-snowstorm-imperils-more-than-40000-...
More at the link
  1. groups:
    Community,   Green,   Culture,   Earth and Science,   6 more
  2. tags:
    Environment,  Climate Change,  Animals,  Chile,  7 more
  3.     
    |

3 comments // Rare snowstorm in South American desert imperils 40,000 llamas and alpacas; strands thousands // Video

  • JanforGore
    • +2
      JanforGore  
    • Image

    • http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=51312&src=share

      NASA images.

      "Ordinarily, the flashes of white in South America’s Atacama Desert rise from salt pans. But on July 7, 2011, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired these images, the white came from a far rarer commodity: snow.

      Starting on July 3 and lasting several days, a cold front dumped up to 80 centimeters of snow (32 inches) on the driest desert in the world, reported BBC News.

      The images above show the largest snowfall the region has witnessed in a half-century. The top image provides a photo-like, natural color view of the snow. A few clouds hang over the white desert, marring the view slightly. The lower image, which includes both visible and infrared light, helps distinguish between snow and clouds. Snow is dark red, while clouds are lighter shades of orange and white.

      How rare was the heavy snow? Parts of the Atacama Desert receive just 1 to 3 millimeters of precipitation per year (the local average is 50 mm, or 2 inches). This storm should skew the averages for some time.

      Along with the snowfall, the winter storm also brought temperatures of -8.5C (17.6F) to Santiago, Chile. Parts of Uruguay and Argentina also coped with freezing temperatures. Several major copper mines were shuttered and overland transportation was snarled due to the snow, heavy rains, and flooding, according to news reports. More than 5,000 people had to abandon their homes in northern Chile, as many roofs in the desert region are not designed to withstand rain."

    • 10 months ago
  • JanforGore
    • +2
      JanforGore  

    • Extremes in the other hemisphere as we bake. These poor animals are suffering with all of us. And there is no doubt we have affected the hydrologic cycle of this planet.

    • 10 months ago
  • squarethecircle
more from Community:
from the community

top videos