IANIGLA   20881
INSTITUTO ARGENTINO DE NIVOLOGIA, GLACIOLOGIA Y CIENCIAS AMBIENTALES
Unidad Ejecutora - UE
capítulos de libros
Título:
Chapter 23 Updating the Hydrological Knowledge: A Case Study
Autor/es:
OLGA EUGENIA SCARPATI, EDUARDO KRUSE, MARCELA HEBE GONZALEZ, ALBERTO ISMAEL JUAN VICH, ALBERTO DANIEL CAPRIOLO; RUBEN MARIO CAFFERA
Libro:
Handbook of Engineering Hydrology: Environmental Hydrology and Water Management
Editorial:
Francis and Taylor, CRC Group
Referencias:
Lugar: Florence, Kentucky; Año: 2014; p. 445 - 459
Resumen:
In this chapter, the hydrology of the southern region of South America is updated. The study region belonging to Argentina and Uruguay Republics has a surface of 3,110,223 km2. It presents high diversity in its environments, a large Atlantic coast, important mountain masses, vast plains of temperate climate, watersheds of great potential for multiple use, different types of climate, and high availability of natural resources that are associated with the natural basis of the settlement and national economic activities, although some are not sufficiently valued and have been degraded by uncontrolled human intervention. The location and size of both the countries determine a diversity of landscapes and several water regimes. This situation is exacerbated by the high irregularity in the distribution of annual precipitation. The Andes Range and the air masses from the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans are the main regulator of the water cycle. An important surface of Argentina and almost whole Uruguay belong to Del Plata basin, one of the biggest of the world with 3,200,000 km2 and which includes other basins of secondary order as those of Paraná, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Bermejo y Pilcomayo Rivers and some of the third order as Iguazú, Entre Ríos province rivers, Pasaje?Juramento?Salado and Carcarañá Rivers. All of them complete the system cited earlier in the considered countries. The rivers are of pluvial regime with annual precipitations varying from 2000 mm at east of La Plata Basin to 700 mm at its northwestern area. Seventy-five percent of Argentine and Uruguayan populations live there and develop the main productive activities. This very important region has an important problem: according to a study completed in 1996, the density of hydrological and meteorological stations is low compared with WMO standards. This remarks that there is need for more information to increase the hydrological knowledge