A Hydrographic Approach to the Alps
• • 330 A HYDROGRAPHIC APPROACH TO THE ALPS A HYDROGRAPHIC APPROACH TO THE ALPS • • • PART III BY E. CODDINGTON SUB-SYSTEMS OF (ADRIATIC .W. NORTH SEA] BASIC SYSTEM ' • HIS is the only Basic System whose watershed does not penetrate beyond the Alps, so it is immaterial whether it be traced·from W. to E. as [Adriatic .w. North Sea], or from E. toW. as [North Sea . w. Adriatic]. The Basic Watershed, which also answers to the title [Po ~ w. Rhine], is short arid for purposes of practical convenience scarcely requires subdivision, but the distinction between the Aar basin (actually Reuss, and Limmat) and that of the Rhine itself, is of too great significance to be overlooked, to say nothing of the magnitude and importance of the Major Branch System involved. This gives two Basic Sections of very unequal dimensions, but the ., Alps being of natural origin cannot be expected to fall into more or less equal com partments. Two rather less unbalanced sections could be obtained by differentiating Ticino.- and Adda-drainage on the Po-side, but this would exhibit both hydrographic and Alpine inferiority. (1) BASIC SECTION SYSTEM (Po .W. AAR]. This System happens to be synonymous with (Po .w. Reuss] and with [Ticino .w. Reuss]. · The Watershed From .Wyttenwasserstock (E) the Basic Watershed runs generally E.N.E. to the Hiihnerstock, Passo Cavanna, Pizzo Luceridro, St. Gotthard Pass, and Pizzo Centrale; thence S.E. to the Giubing and Unteralp Pass, and finally E.N.E., to end in the otherwise not very notable Piz Alv .1 Offshoot in the Po ( Ticino) basin A spur runs W.S.W.
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