Mountain Wetlands of Argentina

Abstract

Argentina, located in the south cone of South America, ranks as the eighth-largest country in the world, covering a landmass of approximately 2.780.400 km2 and an approximate length of 3,649 km, stretching between latitudes 21°46´ 52″and 55° 03´ 21″S. Longitudinally, the country´s extreme points range from 53º 38´W inthe east to 73º 34´ W in the west. Its widest portion spansapproximately 1500 km, narrowing to less than 300 km at the southerntip of the continent. This results in a high environmentalheterogeneity expressed both north to south and east to west. Alongthe latitudinal axis, Argentina encompasses territories in variousclimatic zones (subtropical, temperate, and cold), while the presenceof the Andes mountain range in the west creates a pronouncedwest?east altitudinal gradient from permanently snow-cappedhighlands to areas located at the sea level.Thecountry is also crossed by an arid diagonal from the northwest regionto the Patagonian steppe in the south. As aresult, Argentina ranks ninth globally in terms of the percentage ofits territory covered by drylands, with 66% of its national territoryconsisting of drylands, of which 51.5% are classified as arid.Additionally, Argentina stands out as the Latin American country withthe highest proportion of drylands and the largest population livingwithin them. Argentina also exhibitssignificant coastal development along the Atlantic Ocean, spanningover 4500 km, characterized by a diverse range of shorelinelandscapes. The result is the presence of a greatarray of eco-regions characterized by different physical environments. The variability in climate, physiography, andlithological complexity provides different hydrogeomorphologicalconditions for the development and maintenance of a high variety ofwetlands, which occupy a significant proportion of the country´sterritory. Themountain wetlands in Argentina are intricately linked with the Andesmountain range, the longest mountain range in the world, whichstretches from Venezuela to the southernmost tip of the continent,spanning approximately 7000 km and running along the entire length ofthe country on its western flank, sharing its frontier with Chile andBolivia. At the macro scale, it shapes the river system anddetermines the rainfall regime and the extent of aridity conditionsover much of the national territory. The climate and topographydictate climatic sequences that define vegetation zones, resemblingbioclimatic belts. Here, vegetation undergoes modifications based onfactors such as topography, water availability, and soil conditions.Additionally, altitude and slope´s exposure contribute to a myriadof local climates or microclimates, resulting in highly diversehábitat types characterized by pronounced biophysical contrasts evenwithin close proximity.