Alba Puig

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Rafael Domingo Osle

University of Navarra

Jandir Pauli

Faculdade Meridional, IMED

Giovanni Priori

Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Peru

Anderson Sant'Anna

Fundação Getulio Vargas Escola de Administração de Empresas de São Paulo

María Piqué

Universidad de Buenos Aires

Alice T. Cybis Pereira

Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina

Griselda Capaldo

Universidad de Buenos Aires

André Luiz de Almeida Mendonça

University of Salamanca

Doanson Torres

UNAM Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México

Jana Javornik

University of East London

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Papers by Alba Puig

Comparative sensitivity ofScenedesmus acutus andChlorella pyrenoidosa as sentinel organisms for aquatic ecotoxicity assessment: Studies on a highly polluted urban river

Environ Toxicol, 2000

ABSTRACT The effects of spatial and temporal differences on the water quality of the urban contam... more ABSTRACT The effects of spatial and temporal differences on the water quality of the urban contaminated Reconquista River (Argentina) were evaluated by means of bioassays based on the growth of two algal populations (Chlorella pyrenoidosa and Scenedesmus acutus). The effects produced by the addition of cadmium and/or nutrient salts to the samples were also assayed. Noticeable differences in algal biomass were detected among samples from different sites, the highest values corresponding to the most polluted zones. The toxic effect of cadmium was more pronounced in S. acutus than in C. pyrenoidosa, particularly in the least polluted waters. The addition of nutrient salts to the culture medium attenuated heavy metal toxicity, mainly to C. pyrenoidosa, and also revealed nutrient limitation to algal growth in certain sites and dates. Site classifications based both on algal bioassays and on physical and chemical variables showed good agreement. ©2000 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Inc. Environ Toxicol 15: 14–22, 2000

Primeros resultados de la clasificación de lagunas someras en la región del delta del Paraná bajo un enfoque ecohidrogeomórfico

RESUMEN La región del delta del Paraná manifiesta características ecológicas singulares y su ubic... more RESUMEN La región del delta del Paraná manifiesta características ecológicas singulares y su ubicación en el sector inferior final de la Cuenca del Plata le confiere relevancia estratégica. El régimen climático e hidrológico y la diversidad de paisajes derivados de procesos geomorfológicos permiten definir a esta región como un macromosaico de humedales (Neiff, 1990) y, como parte de ese mosaico, se destaca la presencia de una gran cantidad de lagunas someras. Debido al constante incremento de las presiones ...

Evaluaciones jurídicas, ecológicas y sociales para el debate de la sustentabilidad y gobernabilidad en la gestión de cuencas en Sudamérica

I.-INTRODUCCIÓN La gestión integrada de recursos hídricos (GIRH) abarca todo el ciclo hidrológico... more I.-INTRODUCCIÓN La gestión integrada de recursos hídricos (GIRH) abarca todo el ciclo hidrológico, diferentes escalas espaciales y temporales, así como todos los usuarios, incluyendo el agua reservada para el apropiado funcionamiento de los ecosistemas (RIOC, 2012). El agua se requiere en cantidad y calidad adecuadas para la vida y salud humana, sus actividades, la conservación de la biodiversidad y el funcionamiento de los ecosistemas. Como recurso natural esencial para la vida, la salud y el desarrollo humano, es mucho más que la suma de las facetas bajo las cuales es analizada individualmente. Su uso y distribución puede generar conflictos, así como espacios de convergencia y cooperación. Su manejo político puede consolidar el poder relativo de un Estado en una región (GLEICK, 1994; MAURY, 2002) o puede afianzar la integración entre los Estados (CAPALDO, 2010). La intensificación de actividades antrópicas a diferentes escalas (que puede inducir cambios, por ejemplo, en la hidrología, el régimen de nutrientes y sedimentos, la calidad del hábitat, o propiciar la invasión de especies exóticas), junto con el aumento de eventos extremos asociables al cambio climático, proyecta escenarios de profundización de asimetrías, por ejemplo, en sentido aguas arriba-aguas abajo, lo que agudiza el desafío de encaminarse hacia metas de sustentabilidad y de equidad, tanto inter como intrageneracional.

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Recent changes (1973-2014 versus 1903-1972) in the flow regime of the Lower Paraná River and current fluvial pollution warnings in its Delta Biosphere Reserve

by Alba Puig and Juan Borús

Environmental science and pollution research international, Jan 20, 2016

Alterations in flow regimes of large rivers may originate or increase risks to ecosystems and hum... more Alterations in flow regimes of large rivers may originate or increase risks to ecosystems and humans. The Paraná River basin (South America) undergoes human pressures (e.g., heavy damming in the upper basin, deforestation, and mixed pollution) that may affect the water quantity and quality of its terminal Delta (Argentina). In this study, after applying univariate and multivariate change-point detection and trend analyses to the daily data series of flows incoming to the Delta (Paraná-Santa Fe section), flow characteristics were compared by Indicators of Hydrologic Alteration (IHA) and Environmental Flow Components (EFC). Some flood characteristics were also compared from hydrometric levels in the middle Delta (San Pedro station). Chemical and microbiological water variables in the main rivers of the "Paraná Delta" Biosphere Reserve were examined during two extreme hydrologic years (October 2008 to July 2010) to detect potential risk factors in association with hydrologic ...

Relevance of the Paraná River hydrology on the fluvial water quality of the Delta Biosphere Reserve

by Alba Puig and Juan Borús

Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 2015

The increasing frequency of extreme events in large rivers may affect not only their flow, but al... more The increasing frequency of extreme events in large rivers may affect not only their flow, but also their water quality. In the present study, spatial and temporal changes in fluvial physico-chemical variables were analyzed in a mega-river delta during two extreme hydrological years (La Niña-El Niño) and related to potential explanatory factors. Basic water variables were evaluated in situ at 13 points (distant 2-35 km from each other) in watercourses of the Delta Biosphere Reserve (890 km(2)) in the Lower Paraná River (Argentina) in nine surveys (October 2008-July 2010) without meteorological tides. Samples for laboratory analyses were collected from each main river. Multivariate tests by permutations were applied. The period studied was influenced by a drought, within a long period dominated by low flows combined with dry weather and wildfires, and a large (10 years of recurrence) and prolonged (7 months) flood. The hydrological phase, followed by the season and the hydrological year (according to the ENSO event) were the principal explanatory factors of the main water quality changes, whereas the drainage sub-basin and the fluvial environment (river or stream) were secondary explanatory factors. During the drought period, conductivity, turbidity, and associated variables (e.g., major ions, silicon, and iron concentrations) were maximal, whereas real color was minimal. In the overbanking flood phase, pH and dissolved oxygen concentration were minimal, whereas real color was maximal. Dissolved oxygen saturation was also low in the receding flood phase and total major ion load doubled after the arrival of the overbanking stage. The water quality of these watercourses may be affected by the combination of several influences, such as the Paraná River flow, the pulses with sediments and solutes from the Bermejo River, the export of the Delta floodplain properties mainly by the flood, the season, and the saline tributaries to the Lower Paraná River. The high influence of the hydrology of this large river on the Delta fluvial water quality emphasizes the relevance of changes in its flow regime in recent decades, such as the seasonality attenuation. Considering that the effects of extreme events differ among and within fluvial systems, specific ecohydrological evaluations and powerful appropriate statistics are key tools to gain knowledge on these systems and to provide bases for suitable management measures in a scenario of climate change and increasing human alterations and demands.

Caracterización y variación espacial de parámetros fisicoquímicos y del plancton en un río urbano contaminado, (río Reconquista, Argentina)

by Alba Puig and Carolina Loez-Bley

Revista Internacional de Contaminacion Ambiental

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Evaluaciones Ecológicas, Jurídicas y Sociales orientadas hacia la Gestión de Cuencas Transfronterizas, con énfasis en la Cuenca del Plata

by Alba Puig, Griselda Capaldo, Mariano Ferro, and Javier I . Echaide

This contribution is part of a project funded by the University of Buenos Aires and based on an i... more This contribution is part of a project funded by the University of Buenos Aires and based on an interdisciplinary and long-term research plan about water at local and regional levels, in situations which run from low to high conflict settings. The assessment of legal, ecological and sociological aspects allows us to provide recommendations that contribute to the debate on sustainability and governance, primarily in South American river systems and, in particular, the La Plata Basin. In the vision of IWRM is still pending to properly incorporate the role of ecosystems recognized by the EMA as the basis of human livelihood and economic and social development that affects their welfare. Based on these criteria, and given the vast coverage and diversity of La Plata basin, it is necessary to adopt an integrated watershed management in conjunction with an ecosystem approach.

Resource use in the Parana River Delta (Argentina): moving away from an ecohydrological approach?

Ecohydrology & Hydrobiology, 2008

The Parana Delta region is a huge mosaic of wetlands exhibiting rich biodiversity highly adapted ... more The Parana Delta region is a huge mosaic of wetlands exhibiting rich biodiversity highly adapted to annual hydrological cycles. In the last decade, however, flow patterns have changed due to the combined effect of dam regulation in the upper basin, waterway construction, new road infrastructure, and climate changes. Such changes triggered new strategies for cattle, fisheries, wildlife and forestry uses with associated landscape modifications and are directed to transform the Delta into a productive dryland area. Such vision fails to envision the value of wetland benefits and environmental services and how traditional resource management can be more sustainable in the long term. We conclude that an ecohydrological template is needed to guide future development, where economic, social and environmental factors should be harmonized.

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An Integration of Water Physicochemistry, Algal Bioassays, Phytoplankton, and Zooplankton for Ecotoxicological Assessment in a Highly Polluted Lowland River

by Alba Puig and Carolina Loez-Bley

Water, Air, & Soil Pollution, 2000

Results of different approaches potentially useful for the evaluation of water ambient quality we... more Results of different approaches potentially useful for the evaluation of water ambient quality were analysed and compared in a small temperate lowland river with mixed diffuse and multiple-point source pollution. The Reconquista River (Buenos Aires Province, Argentina), one of the most polluted watercourses of Latin America, receives agrochemicals as well as domestic and industrial (mostly untreated) effluents. Physical and chemical water variables were determined; unispecies algal bioassays (with Chlorella pyrenoidosa and Scenedesmus acutus) were carried out in laboratory; and density and structure of phyto-and zooplankton were analysed at three sites in four dates (representing a range of likely conditions in the river). A general scheme of association among plankton, bioassays and physical/chemical variables was elaborated, that helped to infer possible control factors in this multi-stressed system. Some empirical methods, but mainly mathematical ones including multivariate techniques (as PCA, cluster analysis), were applied for evaluation of samples. A preliminary selection of indices and attributes as potential indicators of the water river quality was made, and then applied for assay a tentative integrative ordination of samples. The relative best water quality was recorded when-where dissolved oxygen concentration, algal diversity and planktonic crustacean density were higher. The worst water quality corresponded to the lack of cladocerans and lowest crustacean density, and higher: organic and industrial pollution, major nutrients (ammonium and orthophosphates), BOD, hardness, conductivity, algal biomass in bioassays, phytoplankton density (>10 000 ind. mL −1 ), dominance of a single algal species (>90%), and rotifer proportion in zooplankton (>85%).

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Physicochemical variables and plankton from the Lower Delta of the Paran� River (Argentina) in relation to flow

Hydrological Processes, 2003

... Laura de Cabo,1 Alba Puig,1* Silvana Arreghini,1,2 Héctor F. Olguın,1,3 Rafael Seoane1,4,5 an... more

Water Pollution in an Urban Argentine River

by Alba Puig and Silvana Arreghini

Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, 2001

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Evaluaciones jurídicas, ecológicas y sociales para el debate de la sustentabilidad y gobernabilidad en la gestión de cuencas en Sudamérica

by Kleverton Carvalho, Griselda Capaldo, Marta Biagi, Alba Puig, Mariano Ferro, and Javier I . Echaide

El presente aporte se enmarca en un proyecto de investigación multidisciplinaria sobre el agua, d... more El presente aporte se enmarca en un proyecto de investigación multidisciplinaria sobre el agua, de largo plazo, a escala local y regional (América del Sur, con énfasis en el MERCOSUR), en escenarios de bajo a alto conflicto. El mismo postula que la brecha entre la retórica abstracta y la realidad asociada a la gobernanza multisectorial y la gestión sostenible del agua se manifiesta en la falta de conocimiento científico apropiado o en la subestimación del disponible, en la insuficiencia de diagnóstico y de planes integrados de gestión, en la ineficacia de la aplicación del derecho, en las asimetrías en el acceso al agua que imponen los escenarios de mercantilización y en la elusión de las responsabilidades que competen al rol de cada actor social y político involucrado en la gobernanza y gestión del agua. En este documento se aborda, principalmente, el análisis de la Cuenca del Plata con un enfoque multidisciplinario que incluye aspectos jurídicos, ecológicos y sociológico.

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Comparative sensitivity ofScenedesmus acutus andChlorella pyrenoidosa as sentinel organisms for aquatic ecotoxicity assessment: Studies on a highly polluted urban river

Environ Toxicol, 2000