Detection and attribution of climate change impacts in coupled natural-human systems in the Andes

Mountain regions are among the most sensitive and vulnerable to anthropogenic climate change. In this study, we systematically assess the observed impacts of climate change in the Andes and use expert review and model-based methods to identify the role of anthropogenic climate change. Impact detection and attribution assessments showed that anthropogenic climate change has had at least a minor role in the observed changes while non-climate factors also interfere. Our results confirm that the observed rapid melting of glaciers, increasing number of droughts and floods and reduced water availability in all Andean regions have led to a widespread cascading of impacts through natural and human systems and that these detected impacts can be attributed to human interference in the climate. These findings highlight the need to understand the complex interactions of natural and human systems, support policy-making and implement locally relevant adaptation responses to climate change. Impacts of anthropogenic climate change in the Andes, such as glacier melt and an increasing frequency of floods and droughts, have cascaded through natural and human systems, according to a systematic assessment involving observations, expert review and model-based methods.