Hydrometric data rescue in the Paraná-Uruguay basin

ANDRÉS ANTICO; RICARDO O. AGUIAR; MARIO L. AMSLER; MARÍA EUGENIA TORRES

Grenoble

Workshop; Cross community workshop on past flood variability; 2016

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The discharge of the Paraná-Uruguay River system (southeastern South America) is among the ten largest river flows of the world. Thus, extending the available Paraná-Uruguay hydrometric data (starting after 1900) back to the 19-th century would provide valuable information for studies on South American and global flood variability. Here we rescue historical observations of daily Paraná and Uruguay water levels recorded since January 1884. Data rescue activities consist of imaging of original notebooks and digitising of level observations. These activities provide the only Paraná and Uruguay water level records that cover part of the 19-th century. The potential of the rescued data for hydro-climate research is demonstrated by showing that the well-documented ENSO-water level link of the 20-th century is also detected in the 19-th century level observations. That is, floods are associated with El Niño events.