Latin American School of Soil Physics – Topic: Soil Hydrology. (La Serena, November 2 – 14, 2003)
The VII Latin American School of Soil Hydrology, Topic – Soil Hydrology, was carried out in La Serena in the first two weeks of November 2003. This was developed in the context of CAZALAC’s Operating Plan, which forms part of the covenant celebrated between the Government of Chile and UNESCO, with the financial support of the Flemish Government and the collaboration of the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP). |
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A total of 21 foreigner students attended the course from Argentina (5), Belgium (1), Brazil (2), Colombia (2), Cuba (1), Ecuador (1), Mexico (2), Peru (1), Uruguay (3) and Venezuela (3), plus 17 Chilean students from public and private institutions such as hydrologic services, forestry services, universities, institutes, research centers and consortia, consultants on water and soil resources from each country. Their curricula included disciplines like agriculture sciences, forest engineering, edaphology, geochemistry, civil engineering, construction, etc.
Once the course has finished, we only have to thank all those who enthusiastically participated in this activity, to the students, professionals and institutions that made it possible.
Contents
Aspects like the following were among the main contents in the course:
- Soil as a porous system.
- Flow in saturated and non saturated zones.
- Water infiltration and retention in soil.
- Water distribution and movement in the ground.
- Water balance, irrigation and drainage, salinity.
- Precipitation, effective precipitation.
- Data correction and completion.
- Avenues (Wadis), Hydrogram Concept.
- Hydrogram of floods, Unit Hydrogram.
- Extreme events (statistical methods).
- Drought concepts (hydrological, agricultural, others).
- Surface, sub-superficial and underground water run-off. Sediment transportation.
- Hydrological models.
- Soil and water degradation processes.
- Degradation and desertification indicators.
- Erosion. Erosion factors.
- Methodology to estimate hydrological erosion.
- Soil and water resources preservation strategies.
- The water basin as a natural resource development and preservation planning and management unit.
- Basin management.
Organization
DIRECTORS:
Guido Soto (CAZALAC, Chile) - gsoto@cazalac.org
Donald Gabriels (University of Ghent, Belgium) - Donald.Gabriels@rug.ac.be
Deyanira Lobo L. (Universidad Central de Venezuela) -lobod@agr.ucv.ve
CO-DIRECTORS:
Ildefonso Pla S. (University of Leida, Spain)
Edmundo González (University of La Serena, Chile)
ADVISORS:
Alberto Tejada (UNESCO, France)
Carlos Salazar (General Water Directorate, Chile)
Roberto Pizarro (University of Talca, Chile)
INVITED TEACHERS:
Fernando Santibañez (University of Chile, Chile)
Achim Ellies (Universidad Austral, Chile)
Wilfredo Alfaro (CONAF, Chile)
Rafael Medina (CONAF, Chile)
INSITITUTIONAL SUPPORT
University of La Serena (Chile)
UNESCO (Flanders Project) (Belgium)
ICTP-The Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (Trieste, Italy)
Elqui River Surveillance Association (Chile)
CONAF-IV Region (field visit)
DGA-IV Region (field visit)
