Precipitation and River-Flow Reconstruction in the Choapa Watershed in north-central Chile

In arid and semi-arid regions a progressive decline of water resources will impact all socio-ecological and economic dynamics. The semi-arid region of north-central Chile has not been exempt from these climatic scenarios. The Choapa River flow records show an increase in the variability of the flow rates from 1985 and a constant decline in total discharge from 2002 to date. So the aim of this talk will be to present a 168 year hydro-climatic reconstruction of the Choapa River using Kagenekia angustifolia trees. Our models were able to explain up to 53% of the variance from the instrumental streamflow records. Finally, our results indicate an increased risk of drought from 1950 to the present.