The Silver Basin: Argentina’s Lifeline
The Silver Basin is critical for Argentina because it represents a greater wealth of rivers, is home to 70% of the population of the country and on the front Parana-Plata, develops its most densely populated and industrialized.
What size and potential does the basin have?
It occupies an area of approximately 3,100,000 km2 extending over the territories of Paraguay, Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina, our case covers 37% of our territory (918,900 km2).
What features has the southern sector and the installation of man in this region?
The southern sector of the basin represents a traffic lane of great importance. The control of pathways is the subject of constant discussion among countries in it. Water availability and infrastructure developed for port activities were instrumental in the location of industries and population concentration on the coast. The intense human installation in the silver basin faces several problems, for example: probocadas flooding by overflowing rivers.
What degree brings increased river flow? Explain.
The flood risk has to be installed in villages near the river by the lack of flood. Problems of water contamination with industrial waste, pesticides and agrochemicals, especially in the high basins of Brazil. The sub-salt river floods cover vast areas of land dedicated to agricultural activity and when they depart salinization problems are recognized.
Rivers Parana, Uruguay, Paraguay and Rio de la Plata
- Rio Parana: It is the largest and most important member of the silver basin. They differ 3 sections:
- El Alto Parana (Walk tropical climates, where it is concentrated in summer precipitation that define the regimen that will maintain the river in its course, the main tributaries come from the coastal mountains of Brazil, among these is the Iguazu).
- Middle-Parana (the river facing the sea and becomes more voluminous, having less depth is wider and has a profusion of small rivers and islands that accompany your main course.
- Lower-Parana (south of Rosario form its delta river that brings depositing materials in suspension. It is divided into two main branches: The Parana and Parana Guazu palms.
- Rio Paraguay: Travels a distance of 2600 km from its source to Mata Grosso, to its mouth on the Parana. Collects water from a large basin, across a plain of low slope, with large areas of inundation. His regimen is more regular than that of the Parana. The flood wave reaches the Parana between May and July which is traversed by a road (growing) and a winter dry season (downpipe) summer.
- Rio Uruguay: Born in the Serra do Mar in Brazil and empties into the Rio de la Plata. It has its catchment area in areas receiving more than 2,000 mm of rainfall. His regimen is irregular, with two growing (spring and autumn) and two dry seasons (August and January).
- Rio de la Plata: Collector of the above, is a broad estuary of 35,000 km2 that an extraordinary drain flow. His mouth has a width of 200 km and is partially cut down by the sand banks. Influenced not only by the flow of its tributaries but also by the rhythm of the tides and weather conditions.