The Ebro is a traitor




As you can see, we are walking alongside the Ebro.  Probably best if we have some Ebro facts.

The Ebro rises in Cantabria and flows 930 kilometres, almost entirely in an east-southeast direction. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea, forming a delta in the Terres de l'Ebre region, in southern Catalonia. In the Iberian peninsula, it ranks second in length after the Tagus and second in discharge volume, and drainage basin, after the Douro. It is the longest river entirely within Spain; the other two mentioned flow into Portugal. All of Andorra's drainage basin is in the Ebro, through the Segre.


The Ebro’s area of drainage basin is 85,550 km2  However, the mean annual flow decreased by approximately 29 percent during the 20th century due to many causes: the construction of dams, the increasing demands for irrigation and the evaporation (higher than the rainfall, due to low rainfall, high sunshine and strong and dry winds) from reservoirs in the river basins. This situation has a direct impact on the deltaic system at the mouth of the river because its hydrological dynamics are mainly controlled by the river discharge.

The decrease in river discharge has meant introduction of the salt wedge further into the river. The wedge is where dense salt water pushes up the river, with a layer of less salty water on top.  The mean annual river flow is approximately the critical flow which determines the formation and the break-up of the salt wedge. Thus, when the river discharge is between 300 and 400 m3/s  the salt wedge can occupy the last 5 km of the estuary, but when the discharge is between 100 and 300 m3/s ), the salt wedge can advance up to 18 km  from the mouth. 

The river has flooded a lot and when it has the flow rate has been measured in Zaragoza.  

  • March 1888: 3,760 m3/s (132,800 cu ft/s)

  • January 1891: 3,250 m3/s (114,800 cu ft/s)

  • February 1892: 3,790 m3/s (133,800 cu ft/s)

  • January 1895: 3,118 m3/s (110,100 cu ft/s)

  • March 1930: 3,600 m3/s (127,100 cu ft/s)

  • December 1930: 3,000 m3/s (105,900 cu ft/s)

  • October 1937: 3,000 m3/s (105,900 cu ft/s)

  • January 1941: 4,000 m3/s (141,300 cu ft/s)

  • February 1952: 3,260 m3/s (115,100 cu ft/s)#

  • January 1961: 4,130 m3/s (145,800 cu ft/s)

  • November 1966: 3,154 m3/s (111,400 cu ft/s)

  • January 1981: 2,940 m3/s (103,800 cu ft/s)

  • February 2003: 2,988 m3/s (105,500 cu ft/s)

  • March 2003: 2,220 m3/s (78,400 cu ft/s)

  • April 2007: 2,282 m3/s (80,600 cu ft/s)

In Navarre there is a popular saying that goes: Ega, Arga and Aragón make the Ebro man, referring to the fact that before receiving these tributaries the river has little flow.

In Cantabria there is an old saying that goes like this: Ebro traitor that is born in Castile and irrigates Aragon , a clear example of how a river that was born in Castile brought a great benefit to a competitor like the Crown of Aragon in the past.

Tomorrow we cross the river.




 

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