Integrating Climate Science, Monitoring, and Management in the Rio de la Plata Estuarine Front (Uruguay)

The study presents an institutional arrangement for managing some risks associated with hydroclimatic variability in the Rio de la Plata River Estuarine Frontal System (EFS). The goals are to contribute to an efficient coordination work between local agencies that manage the use of ecosystem services, and to incorporate climate science and management options in coastal areas of Uruguay. We have identified and analysed climate forcing ENSO and the variables river flow and winds, which govern the location and displacement of the frontal system, where the capital city Montevideo is located, and the fluctuations of salinity. The study analyses the austral spring–summer period (October–March) from 1997/1998 to 2012/2013. Fish catch and beach quality were selected as examples of environmental impacts of climate forcing which are presented as a causality loop diagram (CLD): ENSO → (River flow, wind, rainfall) → (EFS displacement, Salinity), and state/impact indicators → (Fish catch, Beach quality). Institutional cooperation has been developed to incorporate climate adaptation regarding the Frontal System. GEF Project “Implementing Pilot Adaptation Measures to Climate Change in coastal areas of Uruguay”, in which the Directorate of the Environment, the University of the Republic, and the Government of Montevideo collaborate on improving climate science, monitoring, and management in the fields of Estuarine and Environmental Management has provided the framework for the present study.