Spatiotemporal variability of extreme precipitation events and their impacts on soil moisture and water table depth in Argentina's Core Crop Region

BERNAL MUJICA, ANELIM; LOVINO, MIGUEL A.; MÜLLER, GABRIELA V.; PIERRESTEGUI, MARÍA JOSEFINA

HYDROLOGICAL SCIENCES JOURNAL-JOURNAL DES SCIENCES HYDROLOGIQUES

IAHS PRESS

Lugar: Wallingford; Año: 2023

0262-6667

This study reassesses the spatiotemporal variability and the changes of extreme precipitation events (EPEs) and studies the response of soil moisture and water table depth to EPEs in Argentina’s Core Crop Region. Extreme events are ana-lyzed using standardized nonparametric indices applied to precipitation, soil moisture, and groundwater. The temporal variability of EPEs exhibits a decadal cycle and interannual modes with dominant frequencies between 2.5 and 4 years related to El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) periodicities. The soil moisture and water table depth respond to precipitation variability replicating both decadal and interannual EPE variability. The response of soil moisture to EPEs attenuates in time as soil depth increases. Water table depth responds to EPEs with an average delay of 10 months. In recent decades, soil moisture in-creases (water table depth becomes shallower) rapidly when reacting to excess precipitation and soil moisture decreases (water table depth deepens) slowly during and after drought events.