Erosión en la bahía de Samborombón y cambios en la dirección de los vientos, provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina

Abstract

Erosion at the Samborombón Bay and changes in wind direction, province of Buenos
Aires, Argentina. A slight southward shift of the South Atlantic semi-permanent high pressure system and an
intensification of the eastern wind at the Río de la Plata have been documented by several authors. A mild wind
wave height increase has been detected at the Río de la Plata and the adjacent continental shelf, from 1970 to the
present, as a consequence of the aforementioned climate variability. The most noticeable increase was observed
between the 80’and 90’decades, in good agreement with a general increment of erosion at Samborombón Bay and
neighboring areas. The annual mean wave height was investigated using numerical simulations. The highest differences
in wind wave heights (0.20 m, 9%) were observed at 34° S - 48° W, approximately. The increase was a little
lower (7%) at the continental shelf and the Río de la Plata. The annual mean of the simulated wave height showed
significant positive trends at the Río de la Plata mouth, the Uruguayan coast and Mar del Plata. The wind wave
energy density (annual mean, averaged at the computational domain) also presented a significant positive trend
and a relatively high inter-annual variability. From the analysis concludes that overall the shoreline has retreated
about 50 m in the last 49 years at Samborombón Bay.