First year report for project

This report examines the relationship between land use and hydrology in the La Plata Basin. Key findings include the identification of optimal groundwater depths for corn, soybean, and wheat in the Pampas, and evidence that replacing pastures with annual crops increases flooding risks. In the Chaco-Espinal region, agricultural expansion has triggered groundwater salinization and the emergence of new streams. In Paraguay, deforestation of the Atlantic Forest increased water yield from 40% to 70% of rainfall. The report also argues that bioelectricity from fire-prone dry forests is a more carbon-efficient energy source than soybean biodiesel, which carries a significant carbon debt from land-use change.

• In the Pampas region, specific groundwater depth ranges optimize crop yields: 1.4–2.5 m for corn, 1.2–2.2 m for soybean, and 0.7–1.6 m for winter-season wheat. Water tables shallower than these ranges are linked to yield drops due to salinity and waterlogging, while deeper tables lead to declines as water becomes inaccessible to plants.
• The replacement of pastures with annual crops in the western Pampas may have contributed to increased flooding. Modeling suggests a bimodal behavior where annual crops—characterized by shallower rooting depths, lower water consumption, and higher sensitivity to waterlogging—create a more flood-prone environment compared to alfalfa pastures.
• Agricultural expansion in the Chaco-Espinal dry forests has led to deep groundwater recharge and salt mobilization. In some areas, less than 30 years of agriculture were sufficient to leach salt loads (which exceed 1kg/m2 under natural forests) into the groundwater, resulting in the emergence of new, salty streams that cause land degradation.
• Deforestation in Paraguay's Atlantic Forest has significantly increased water yield. In a 130,000 km2 area where forest cover dropped from 95% in 1970 to 5% in 2000, the percentage of rainfall inputs reaching the river rose from 40% (during 1940-1980) to nearly 70% by the end of the deforestation period (1980-1996).
• Harvesting biomass from fire-prone dry forests for bioelectricity is presented as a more sustainable alternative to soybean biodiesel. While soybean biodiesel has a higher energy yield per hectare (12.5 vs 9 GJ ha-1 y-1), it results in a net emission of ~580 g CO2e MJ-1 over the first 30 years due to land use change, a carbon debt that would take approximately 550 years to repay.
• Global fires between 2003 and 2006 consumed approximately 8500 ± 460 PJ y-1 of energy, which is about 39% of global electricity consumption. In Argentina, forest fires release more energy than the national electricity consumption of 360 PJ.

APA

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (n.d.). First year report for project. https://iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/uploads/2014/03/Final_report_IDRC_Jobbagy.pdf

Chicago

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research. First year report for project. n.d. https://iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/uploads/2014/03/Final_report_IDRC_Jobbagy.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research |title=First year report for project |url=https://iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/uploads/2014/03/Final_report_IDRC_Jobbagy.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{interamericaninstituteforglobalchangeresearchndfirst, author = {{Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}}, title = {{First year report for project}}, institution = {Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}, url = {https://iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/uploads/2014/03/Final_report_IDRC_Jobbagy.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }