An international team installed five new weather stations in Aconcagua. These are a network of automatic devices located in strategic points of the Provincial Park.
Researchers from the CONICET at the Argentine Institute of Snow, Glaciology, and Environmental Sciences (IANIGLA, CONICET-UNCUYO-Gob. Mza.), the University of Nevada in Reno (UNR, United States), and the King’s College London (United Kingdom) collaborated on this project.
The new weather stations in Aconcagua
The “Wayra Project: Atmospheric Monitoring Network in Aconcagua,” as reported by the scientific organization, aims to contribute to the understanding of the atmosphere and climate of the region by instrumenting an emblematic site: the Aconcagua Provincial Park.
The stations and their components were donated by the manufacturers (Campbell Scientific, OTT Hydromet, RM Young, Mount Washington Observatory, and Lightning Master), while the expedition was mainly financed by the University of Nevada and received contributions from the Government of Mendoza to facilitate the installation logistics.
Additionally, the expedition had the support and backing of the Subsecretariat of Environment of the Ministry of Environment and Energy of the Government of Mendoza, and the General Department of Irrigation of the province (DGI).
The stations will allow real-time climate monitoring, which will benefit the planning of local producers and provide information about water resources for local agricultural production, as well as data for better management of the PPA, making expeditions to Aconcagua safer.
This information is also necessary to reduce risks associated with phenomena such as heatwaves, convective storms, the growth of glacial lakes, as was the case with the lakes formed between January 18 and 20, 2024, at Plaza Argentina, which represent a risk for those working and visiting the PPA.
Moreover, the stations will provide precipitation and temperature data in the high mountains of Mendoza.
Strategic sites
The weather stations were placed at strategic sites of the colossus of America: the base camp Plaza de Mulas (4300 masl), at Plaza Argentina (4200 masl), on the Superior Horcones Glacier (4,350 masl), at the high-altitude field Nido de Cóndores (5580 masl), and in the vicinity of the summit (6960 masl).
The new weather stations. (Photo: CONICET).
Fidel Roig, a CONICET researcher and director of IANIGLA, emphasized the value of this international collaboration in the project, as the Andean region in Argentina is a supplier of the necessary water resources for the economic, energy, and tourism development in the western sector of the country.
He also points out that mountain climatology is complex due to the altitudinal and topographical factors that characterize it.
“This project is very valuable as instrumental climatological information is scarce, making it difficult to understand, model, and even forecast how the water supply will behave,” Roig expressed.
“These new stations come to meet part of this need by providing real-time climate information at different heights associated with Mount Aconcagua,” he added.
“The information provided by these stations will be an essential element for the management of the Aconcagua Provincial Park, constituting a fundamental contribution to the Environmental Management Project of the Aconcagua Provincial Park that IANIGLA has timely submitted to the Environment Secretariat of the Government of Mendoza,” the specialist elaborated.
The Wayra project stations, together with the existing station in Horcones (DGI), complement a fundamental meteorological network to understand the climatology of the Aconcagua Provincial Park.
The installed equipment will provide hourly data on the main variables: temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind, precipitation, and radiation. The data can be used to strengthen the weather forecasts used for activities carried out in the Aconcagua Provincial Park, such as summit expeditions, helicopter flights, and rescue operations.
The team
The expedition was led by Pierre Pitte, a CONICET researcher at IANIGLA, Baker Perry from the University of Nevada Reno, and Tom Matthews from King’s College.
The team also included professionals from CONICET, DGI, mountain guides, PPA staff, and porters. Inka Expeditions provided logistical support for field operations.
The team in Aconcagua.
“The stations are part of a long-term effort by IANIGLA to instrument the high mountains in the Andes of Argentina. These provide information to understand current meteorology and manage the risks of activities in mountain regions,” Pitte commented.
The team also installed, for a period of two years, an energy balance station on the Superior Horcones Glacier.
Mariana Correas Gonzalez, a postdoctoral fellow at CONICET in IANIGLA, one of the women participating in the expedition, highlighted that the Wayra Project was an enriching experience.
“I am proud of this project; the installation of the stations is a valuable contribution to atmospheric monitoring in Aconcagua, which will not only contribute to specific knowledge about high mountain meteorology but also to the management of the Aconcagua Provincial Park and expanding the station network that IANIGLA has been building for over 10 years,” she stated.
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