Hydroclimatic extremes and water resources: current state of knowledge in south-western Buenos Aires, Argentina
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Abstract
Drought and flood recurrence represents one of the greatest challenges for sustainable water resources management in south-western Buenos Aires. This paper bridges and summarizes recent advances in the understanding of the natural variability of the regional climate and its impacts on the stability of local water resources. It explores the processes that determine the spatial and temporal variability of rainfall, and examines the mechanisms of hydrological response to rainfall extremes. It also provides an inventory of extreme hydroclimatic events recorded in recent years to illustrate the multiplicity of negative consequences for the local society. Results underline the need for an integrated analysis that combines the complex of physical and human processes involved in the occurrence and recurrence of extreme hydroclimatic events in south-western Buenos Aires, and that considers the diversity of potential damages over a range of temporal and spatial scales.