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Preliminary characterization of the vegetation cover of the banks of the Chimehuín River

Country:Argentina
Student(s):Franco Nahuel Morrone, Joaquín Melo, Hugo Alberto Revolero Rubilar, Ailén Mariana Tallarico Esteve and Mateo Andrés Cahuin Baigorria
Grade Level:Secondary School (grades 9-12, ages 14-18)
GLOBE Member(s):Ana Prieto, Jorge Pepe
Contributors:Brian Campbell, Peder Nelson, Dorian Janney and Peter Falcon
Report Type(s):Virtual Science Symposium Report, Standard Research Report
Protocols:Biometry (including Tree Height)
Presentation Poster: View Document
Language(s):English, Spanish
Date Submitted:2023-03-13
Huechulafquen Science Club
The Chimehuín River runs through 53 km of transitional steppe, crossing rural areas for the most part, approximately half of which is the city of Junín de los Andes. The riparian vegetation corresponds to a narrow strip on both sides of the river. This work studies the riverbanks with the aim of characterizing the type of vegetation cover and the height of the riparian forest. The research questions were: 1) What type of vegetation cover predominates on the banks of the Chimehuín River? 2) Are there differences in riparian vegetation cover and tree height in urban and rural areas? and 3) What heights are the riparian trees in different sectors of the Chimehuín River? Field samplings were carried out in publicly accessible areas of the Chimehuín River that were used to validate the satellite information on land cover and tree height, which provided more complete information and even on inaccessible sites. The average annual temperature is 8ºC with great thermal amplitude and negative temperatures in winter. The annual average rainfall is 800mm, but historical information shows great variability with extreme events. The riparian vegetation covers a narrow strip and extends only in some places where the river forms islands. Throughout the river, the predominant cover is trees, followed by grasslands. The riverbanks in the urban area have less tree cover than in the rural area. Grasslands predominate in the urban area and a high percentage of bare soil is detected. The height of the trees on the riverbank ranges between 8 and 15 meters with slight differences between rural and urban areas. It is recommended to continue with the sampling to obtain more precise information.



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