Abstract

ORTEGA-GAUCIN, David. Hydrological drought characterization in the Rio Grande basin, Mexico. Terra Latinoam [online]. 2013, vol.31, n.3, pp.167-180. ISSN 2395-8030.

This paper presents the characterization of hydrological drought periods that have been historically recorded for the Mexican section of the Rio Grande basin, with the purpose of providing a comprehensive picture of the phenomenon, one that will serve as a basis for the proper planning and management of surface water resources in the basin. To do this, we analyze the water contributions to the storage dams located on the main Mexican tributaries of this river. On the basis of the historical series of hydrometric data, establishing the median runoff and, based on that median, the deficit or increase is determined, allowing definition of the duration and severity of drought periods. The results indicate that more than 50% of the analyzed years had a certain degree of drought, with contributions lower than the historical median decreasing up to -91%, and drought periods ranging from one to fourteen consecutive years. It is concluded that in most of the basin an extraordinary drought period occurred, lasting 14 years (1992-2005), its most severe and prolonged recorded drought.

Keywords : water deficit; river; storage damp; irrigation district.

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