Revista de Gestão Costeira Integrada
Volume 14, Número 4, Dezembro 2014, Páginas 541-552

DOI: 10.5894/rgci436
* Submission: 20 August 2013; Evaluation: 30 September 2013; Reception of revised manuscript: 6 October 2013; Accepted: 23 August 2013; Available on-line: 30 October 2013

Sediment input from fluvial sources and cliff erosion to the continental shelf of Argentina *

Federico I. Isla ^{@, a, b}, Luis C. Cortizo ^c

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@ - Corresponding author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
a - Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Instituto de Geología de Costas y del Cuaternario (IGCC), Funes 3350, 7600 Mar del Plata, Argentina.
b - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Av. Rivadavia 1917, Buenos Aires, Argentina. e-mail: <fisla@mdp.edu.ar>
c - Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas de la Provincia de Buenos Aires (CIC), Calle 526, 10-11, La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina. email: <lcortiz@mdp.edu.ar>

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ABSTRACT
The coasts of southern Buenos Aires, Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego are dominated by cliff erosion. Mean rates of cliff retreat are estimated to be about 0.5-0.6 m/year by comparing old photographs with modern satellite images. Considering the height of the Patagonian and Fueguian cliffs (70 to 120 m), the volume of sediment eroded from these cliffs exceeded the volumes provided by the erosion of the cliffs of Buenos Aires (10 to 20 m height). These erosion rates support an estimated delivery of 217 million tons of sediment per year to the continental shelf, exceeding significantly the 22 millions of tons/year transported by the larger Patagonian rivers Negro and Colorado. However, the contribution of these rivers has decreased since the Late Pleistocene changes in the direction of transport of some watersheds. The Chubut and Chico de Santa Cruz rivers suffered reductions of 21-24% in their watershed areas, resulting in reductions of about 33-34% in the volume of water transported to the Atlantic Ocean per year. As the amount of sediment delivered to the Argentine continental shelf by cliff erosion is higher than the fluvial transport, it should be also considered in the balance of beaches fed by longshore transport.

Keywords: cliff erosion, sediment supply, drainage reversal, Patagonia, Buenos Aires.

Fornecimento sedimentar de origem fluvial e da erosão costeira à plataforma continental Argentina

RESUMO
O litoral de Buenos Aires, Patagónia e Terra del Fuego é dominado pela erosão de falésias marinhas. As taxas de medias de recuo foram estimados em 0,5-0,6 m/ano, com base na comparação de fotografias aéreas antigas com imagens satelitárias modernas. Considerando a altura das falésias patagónicas e fueguinas (70 a 120 m), o volume de sedimento erodido supera os volumes que provêm das falésias de Buenos Aires (10 a 20 m). Estas taxas de erosão permitiram estimar um aporte de 217 milhões de toneladas por ano de sedimento à plataforma continental, superando os 22 milhões de toneladas/ano transportados pelos rios da Patagónia, Negro e Colorado. Além disso, a contribuição fluvial diminuiu devido às alterações na drenagem que afetaram algumas bacias desde o Pleistoceno Superior. Os rios Chubut e Chico de Santa Cruz sofreram reduções de 21-24% nas áreas de drenagem, o que significou diminuções de 33-44% nas contribuições de água para o Oceano Atlântico. Como o volume de sedimentos proveniente da erosão de falésias e fornecido à plataforma continental argentina supera o do fornecimento fluvial, tal deve ser também considerado na análise do balanço sedimentar das praias alimentadas pela deriva litorânea.

Palavras-chave: erosao de falesias, aporte sedimentar, inversao do dreagem, Patagonia, Buenos Aires.

 

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