INVESTIGADORES
BALSEIRO Esteban Gabriel
artículos
Título:
Andean Lakes, a proposal of lake districts
Autor/es:
PRADO, PABLO E.; MODENUTTI, BEATRIZ; ARANGUREN-RIAÑO, NELSON; BALSEIRO, ESTEBAN; SAMANEZ, IRIS; CAMPERO, MELINA; FERNÁNDEZ, CARLA E.; RIVERA-RONDON, CARLOS A.; CARVAJAL-VALLEJOS, FERNANDO M.; LÓPEZ-PARÍA, DIANA; HERRERA-MARTÍNEZ, YIMY; DE LOS RÍOS-ESCALANTE, PATRICIO; STEINITZ-KANNAN, MIRIAM
Revista:
Inland Waters
Editorial:
Taylor & Francis
Referencias:
Año: 2024 p. 1 - 37
ISSN:
2044-2041
Resumen:
The Andes is the world's longest mountain system (8,500 km) and harbour important headwater systems, constituting crucial water resources for South America. Their complex topography significantly influences climate and hydrology. The Andes have a wide diversity of aquatic environments, with more than 5,000 lakes (> 0.1 km2, permanent and excluding man-made reservoirs) with different morphometry, including the largest and the deepest in South America (Titicaca and Viedma, respectively). Here we applied a grouping analysis based on available systematised information to delimit different lake districts along the Andes. More than 60% of the surface area of all Andean lakes is concentrated in only nine large lakes, while more than 80% of the lakes have less than a square kilometre area. The analysis proposes eleven lake districts corresponding two to the North Andes, six to the Central Andes and three to the South Andes. Each lake district is described based on the different morphologies, geological origins, climatic factors, and available limnological information. We consider that this study will benefit not only scientists but also decision-makers and stakeholders working in integrated water resources management in a region under climate change and socio-economic inequalities scenarios.