The Gran Chaco and Its Rivers

Page, John T.

doi:10.2307/1801354

Cited by 22 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…River discharge and suspended sediment flux from January to April average ∼750 m 3 /s and ∼410 kt/day in the Lowland Bermejo, respectively, ∼5 times greater than average discharge and sediment flux during the June to December dry season of ∼150 m 3 /s and 15 kt/day, respectively (Figure 2) (Alarcón et al., 2003; Cafaro et al., 2010; Drago & Amsler, 1988; Repasch et al., 2020; SNIH ). The Lowland Bermejo migrates across its floodplain at rates of ∼6–23 m/yr, and experiences periodic avulsions (Page, 1889; Repasch et al., 2020). This exchange between the active river channel and its floodplain results in an average sediment transit time of ∼8.4 ± 2.2 ky across the Lowland Bermejo (Repasch et al., 2020).…”

Section: Study Sitementioning

confidence: 99%

Fluvial Organic Carbon Composition Regulated by Seasonal Variability in Lowland River Migration and Water Discharge

Golombek

Scheingross

Repasch

et al. 2021

Geophysical Research Letters

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Burial of particulate organic carbon (POC) in sedimentary basins drives a long-term atmospheric CO 2 sink (e.g., France-Lanord & Derry, 1997) and creates paleoclimate archives (e.g., Hein et al., 2017). However, POC flux to depositional basins, and the paleoclimate conditions recorded therein, can be modulated during source to sink transit, analogous to how fluvial transport modifies environmental signals in clastic deposits (Hajek & Straub, 2017;Jerolmack & Paola, 2010). In lowland rivers, sediment exchange between rivers and floodplains can modify upstream-derived POC (

show abstract

Section: Study Sitementioning

confidence: 99%

Fluvial Organic Carbon Composition Regulated by Seasonal Variability in Lowland River Migration and Water Discharge

Golombek

Scheingross

Repasch

et al. 2021

Geophysical Research Letters

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In this foreland segment, the Rio Bermejo is consistently incised (an average of 4.85 ± 0.79 m) into older fluvial deposits. The Rio Bermejito (Figure 1b), which occupies a paleo-channel belt from which the Rio Bermejo avulsed in 1870 (Page, 1889), emerges in this segment of the foreland basin. The residual elevation map shows sinuous paleochannels up to ∼50 km away from the modern Bermejo channel.…”

Section: Results and Interpretationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lithospheric Flexure Controls on Geomorphology, Hydrology, and River Chemistry in the Andean Foreland Basin

Repasch,

Scheingross,

Cook

et al. 2023

AGU Advances

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Tectonics exerts a strong control over the morphology of Earth's surface that is apparent in active mountain belts. In lowland areas, subtle processes like lithospheric flexure and isostatic rebound can impact Earth surface dynamics, hydrologic connectivity, and topography, suggesting that geomorphic and hydrologic analyses can shed light on underlying lithospheric properties. Here we examine the effect of lithospheric flexure on the geomorphology, hydrology, and river water chemistry of the Rio Bermejo fluvial system in the east Andean foreland basin of northern Argentina. Results show that proximal to the mountain front, foredeep basin subsidence causes sedimentation along a braided channel belt that is superelevated relative to the surrounding flood basin. During floods, water flows from the superelevated channel into the groundwater reservoir, causing a net loss of discharge with distance downstream. Further downstream, forebulge uplift forces channel narrowing, high lateral migration rates, and incision up to 13 m into older river deposits. This incision locally allows groundwater flow into the river, causing a ∼20% increase in river solute load. Groundwater emerges from the forebulge into the backbulge, predominantly as spring‐fed channels. Here, channel migration rates decrease, suggesting a switch from net uplift to subsidence that reduces the depth to the groundwater table. This analysis shows that subtle lithospheric flexure can have significant effects on river channel morphology that determine hydrologic flow paths, and ultimately influence geochemical and ecological patterns. We suggest that these effects may elucidate lithospheric properties that are otherwise inferred from bulk geophysical observations.

show abstract

“…For most references, we do not doubt that water was consumed from the tank of A. distichantha plants, but some references, despite correctly describing the water tank, also mentioned some characteristics that corresponded to other bromeliad species (e.g., type of infructescence or fruit color) (Dobrizhoffer 1967; Kerr 2015), or mentioned some other uses of this bromeliad species (e.g., utilization of its fiber, the chaguar) (Ambrosetti 1894; Page 1889) (see Appendix S1). The reporters could have confused the bromeliad species because they were not the people consuming the water, because of the difficulty to identify the species, or because the report occurred a long time after the observation.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…In the tank of A. distichantha plants present in the Gran Chaco, rainwater is conserved for a long time, throughout the dry season (i.e., from April to September-October) or during some long dry periods in the wet season (i.e., from October to March), when most natural sources of water (i.e., rivers, streams, and ponds) are completely dry or have only a thick crust of salt (Morello and Adámoli 1974). Thus, this water reservoir has been used by different Indigenous Groups (Martínez Crovetto 1964, 1965Métraux 1944;Page 1889), by Travelers (Fiebrig and Rojas 1933), Criollos (Schulz 1963), as well as by Soldiers (Breithoff 2020) during dry periods. To understand the importance of A. distichantha plants as water reservoirs for people from the Gran Chaco we performed a study that combines information from different sources.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tank Bromeliads as a Water Reservoir Used by Humans: An Important Overlooked Ecosystem Service in Xerophytic Forests

Barberis,

Freire,

Montero

2023

Journal of Ethnobiology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The Bromeliaceae are known for providing numerous ecosystem services. Tank bromeliads that collect water in the bases of their leaves have been an important source of water for people in semiarid regions such as the Gran Chaco. In this large area characterized by xerophytic vegetation grows Aechmea distichantha, the only Chaquenian terrestrial tank bromeliad. We carried out a literature review on water consumption from this tank bromeliad by people in this region. Then, we analyzed the variations in the amount of water stored in the tanks of plants from observational studies as well as the effects of the amount and frequency of water addition on the hydrology of water retained in the tank from an irrigation experiment study. We found 85 reports on the consumption of water from A. distichantha plants by people, including several Indigenous Groups, Criollos, and Soldiers. According to these reports, the tank accumulates about a liter of relatively fresh and clear water that lasts for several weeks. Our observational study showed a large variation in the amount of water held in the tank among years and sites, and our irrigation experiment showed that even plants receiving low and unevenly distributed rainfall conserved some water in their tanks. All these results support the importance of this tank bromeliad for surviving when moving in Eastern Chaco during dry periods until the beginning of the twentieth century. At present, it seems that people living in sedentarism no longer frequently use it for water provision, highlighting that the relative importance of a plant species for providing ecosystem services depends on the historical context.

show abstract

The Gran Chaco and Its Rivers

Cited by 22 publications

References 0 publications

Fluvial Organic Carbon Composition Regulated by Seasonal Variability in Lowland River Migration and Water Discharge

Fluvial Organic Carbon Composition Regulated by Seasonal Variability in Lowland River Migration and Water Discharge

Lithospheric Flexure Controls on Geomorphology, Hydrology, and River Chemistry in the Andean Foreland Basin

Tank Bromeliads as a Water Reservoir Used by Humans: An Important Overlooked Ecosystem Service in Xerophytic Forests

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About