Agricultural drought in the Claromeco river basin, Buenos Aires province, Argentina

MARÍA E. CARBONE, BEATRIZ SCIAN AND MARÍA C. PÍCCOLO

Revista de Climatología

Agencia Estatal de Meteorología (AEMet)

Año: 2008 vol. 8 p. 1 - 13

1578-8768

Abstract The dry and wet periods affecting the Claromecó Creek Basin in the south of the Province of Buenos Aires were analysed applying Palmer´s Model. Palmer´s Drought Severity Index was calculated regionally for five towns for the 1904-1999 period. Both the rate corresponding to the drying of soil humidity and the regional climatic rates were taken into account. On analysing the conditions featured in each decade and during the period as a whole, it was found that whereas droughts prevailed 42.7% of the time, wet conditions predominated 35.5%, and during the remaining 21.8% of the time conditions were normal. Drought periods lasted longer than wet ones - an average of 16 to 19 months as opposed to a maximum of 11 months. The harshest droughts affecting regional farming were registered in 1962/63 (with an 80% loss of the wheat crop, the worst harvest ever), 1995/96 and 1998/99. Key words:  wet period - dry period - Palmer´s Model - South of Buenos Aires