THE EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON ARID AND SEMI-ARID AREAS OF COLOMBIA

With annual average air temperature and annual precipitation data for the 1971–2000 period and scenarios for the 2011–2040 and 2070–2100 period, in 900 meters of spatial resolution, an aridity index was calculated and the arid and semiarid areas were identified for Colombian territory. By comparing the spatial distributions of the aridity index in different periods, the modification of the coverage of the arid and semiarid areas caused by the climate change were established. It was obtained that climate change will expand the arid and semi-arid areas of the country especially in the Caribbean region, valley of the Magdalena river, the Orinoco and the Amazon, as well as some areas in the Pacific and inter-Andean Nariño and Cauca Valley (Yotoco and Dagua).