Fractal characteristics of the middle reach of the Paraná River floodplain during extreme hydrological events

ESPÍNOLA, LUIS ALBERTO; YOYA, FEDERICO; SKLAR, DEIGO; CONTRERAS, FELIX IGNACIO; ABRIAL, ELIE; ALBORNOZ, ENRIQUE MARCELO; PAIRA, ALDO RAÚL; RABUFFETTI, ANA PIA; BLETTLER, MARTÍN CESAR MARIA; AIMAR, HUGO

RIVER RESEARCH AND APPLICATIONS

JOHN WILEY & SONS LTD

Año: 2023 vol. 39 p. 1 - 14

1535-1459

The hydrological events that occur on floodplains are largely defined by precipitationand runoff inputs interacting with their geomorphological characteristics. In the middleParaná River (MPR), hydrological events have traditionally been studied usingwater level time series and topographic charts or satellite images of certain floodplainsectors, using the same scale throughout the study area. Different zones of the floodplainwere integrated using fractal dimension (FD) to better understand hydrologicalprocesses. FD is a useful tool used to characterize the geomorphological complexityof river networks in watersheds. The box-counting method was applied in the MPRfloodplain. The result showed that as water levels increase, FD decreases, therebyindicating the direct relation with the hydrological attributes of the floodplain(e.g., duration, magnitude, recurrence of the flood event, and connectivity). This relationconstitutes the basis of a new approach of the analysis of hydrological eventsand their effect on the MPR floodplain. This research provides fundamental informationobtained from two hydrological stages and different spatial scales which maycomplement the method designed to accurately understand the hydrogeomorphologicalprocesses that operate on the Paraná River floodplain. It provides a simpleparameter that can be used to evaluate the role that each floodplain section plays inattenuating the hydrograph recorded at each gauge analyzed along the river. Thisinformation will be useful in the implementation of management policies directed tothe mitigation of future hydrological threats generated by alterations in the hydrologicalregime due to hydroclimatic variations or watershed alterations. The results furtherstrengthen the basis for integrated sustainable planning of the main channel ofthe Paraná River, its floodplain, and the resources provided by this ecosystem.