Bruce R. Forsberg

Exchanges of sediment between the flood plain and channel of the Amazon River in Brazil

Sediment transport through the Brazilian sector of the Amazon River valley, a distance of 2010 km, involves exchanges between the channel and the flood plain that in each direction exceed the annual flux of sediment out of the river at Obidos (∼1200 Mt yr −1 ). The exchanges occur through bank erosion, bar deposition, settling from diffuse overbank flow, and sedimentation in flood-plain channels. We estimated the magnitude of these exchanges for each of 10 reaches of the valley, and combined them with calculations of sediment transport into and out of the reaches based on sediment sampling and flow records to define a sediment budget for each reach. Residuals in the sediment budget of a reach include errors of estimation and erosion or deposition within the channel. The annual supply of sediment entering the channel from bank erosion was estimated to average 1570 Mt yr −1 (1.3 × the Obidos flux) and the amount transferred from channel transport to the bars (380 Mt yr −1 ) and the flood plain (460 Mt yr −1 in channelized flow; 1230 Mt yr −1 in diffuse overbank flow) totaled 2070 Mt yr −1 (1.7 × the Obidos flux). Thus, deposition on the bars and flood plain exceeded bank erosion by 500 Mt yr −1 over a 10–16 yr period. Sampling and calculation of sediment loads in the channel indicate a net accumulation in the valley floor of approximately 200 Mt yr −1 over 16 yr, crudely validating the process-based calculations of the sediment budget, which in turn illuminate the physical controls on each exchange process. Another 300–400 Mt yr −1 are deposited in a delta plain downstream of Obidos. The components of the sediment budget reflect hydrologic characteristics of the valley floor and geomorphic characteristics of the channel and flood plain, which in turn are influenced by tectonic features of the Amazon structural trough.

Autotrophic Carbon Sources for Fish of the Central Amazon

Effective management of the Amazons commercial fish populations requires an understanding of the factors controlling their production. A fundamental step in the investigation of fish production is to identify the plant groups that contribute energy to fish foodwebs. Stable isotope data for plants and 35 fish species were used to identify autotrophic carbon sources for the central Amazon fish community. Adult fish, aquatic macrophytes, tree parts, periphyton, and phytoplankton were collected in lakes and other flooded environments along the central Amazon floodplain and analyzed for carbon stable isotope composition (°13C) by mass spetroscopy. °13C values for plants ranged from —39.4 to —11.9% with averages of —33.3, —28.8, —27.6, —26.2, and —12.8% for phytoplankton, flooded forests trees, C3 aquatic macrophytes, periphyton, and C4 macrophytes, respectively. The average for all C3 plants (phytoplankton, trees, C3 macrophytes, and Periphyton) was —29.1%, while the average for C4 plants (mainly C4 macrophytes) was —12.8%. Mean °13C values for adult fish ranged from —37.0 to —19.8% with an average of —28.8%. Fish and plant data were used in an isotope mixing model to estimate the relative contribution of different plant groups to fish carbon. C4 macrophytes, which contributed over half of the primary production on the floodplain, accounted on average for only 2.5—17.6% (minimum to maximum) of the carbon in fish. The C3 plants, as a group, were the primary carbon source for 34 fish species, and accounted for an average of 82.4—97.5% of the carbon in all species. Phytoplankton, a minor C3 producer, accounted for a minimum of 36.6% of fish carbon on average, and was the principal carbon source for the commercially important characiform detritivores. Several alternative hypothese are proposed to explain the apparent selective transfer of C3 carbon through Amazon fish foodchains.

Energy sources for detritivorous fishes in the Amazon.

Detritivorous fishes form an important part of the ichthyomass in the Amazon basin. Most of these fishes are contained in the orders Characiformes and Siluriformes (catfishes). The Characiformes constitute more than 30% of the total fish yield in the Amazon basin, whereas the catfishes are of minor importance. Stable isotope data indicate that Characiformes species receive most of their carbon through food chains originating with phytoplankton, while the Siluriformes receive a significant part of their energy from other plant sources.

Modeling large‐scale inundation of Amazonian seasonally flooded wetlands

This paper presents the first application and validation of a 2D hydrodynamic model of the Amazon at a large spatial scale. The simulation results suggest that a significantly higher proportion of total flow is routed through the floodplain than previously thought. We use the hydrodynamic model LISFLOOD-FP with topographic data from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission to predict floodplain inundation for a 240 × 125 km section of the central Amazon floodplain in Brazil and compare our results to satellite-derived estimates of inundation extent, existing gauged data and satellite altimetry. We find that model accuracy is good at high water (72% spatial fit; 0.99 m root mean square error in water stage heights), while accuracy drops at low water (23%; 3.17 m) due to incomplete drainage of the floodplain resulting from errors in topographic data and omission of floodplain hydrologic processes from this initial model.

Spatial patterns of hydrology, geomorphology, and vegetation on the floodplain of the Amazon river in Brazil from a remote sensing perspective

Abstract The spatial heterogeneity of hydrology and vegetation during high-water periods in geomorphically distinct reaches of the Amazon River in Brazil was determined based on semivariance statistics. The spatial statistics were derived from three classified Landsat Thematic Mapper images representing upstream to downstream geomorphic characteristics. In the upstream river reach, scroll-bar topography on the floodplain tends to channelize floodwater into floodplain drainage channels, thus reducing the diversity of water types by reducing opportunities for mixing of flooding river water with locally derived floodplain water. The highest diversity of vegetation types is along floodplain drainage channels, while the rest of the floodplain has a more homogeneous cover. In the middle reach of the river the diversity of wetland classes as measured by semivariance is higher than both upstream and downstream, perhaps because of exposure to more water types and landforms. The diversity of water types is high, because flooding river water flows onto the floodplain as diffuse, non-channelized overbank flow, as well as through drainage channels. The non-channelized overbank flow readily mixes with locally derived floodplain water. Floodplain landforms available for colonization by vegetation include scroll bars, swales, lake shores, lake deltas, and floodplain drainage channels. In the downstream reach where the floodplain is wide, relatively flat, and covered with huge lakes, the floodplain supports a moderately heterogeneous mix of vegetation communities. Where landforms are similar, the spatial distribution of the vegetation is similar to that of the middle reach of the river. In the downstream reach flooded forest comprised only 37% of the wetland vegetation. In contrast, in both the upstream and middle reaches, over 70% of the wetland vegetation was flooded forest. Agricultural clearing of the floodplain is more. common in downstream reaches and may account for the smaller percent of floodplain forest cover.

Seasonal variation in chemical distributions in the Amazon (Solimões) River: A multiyear time series

The results of a 10-year time series study of the chemistry of the Amazon River mainstem near Manaus, Brazil, are presented. All variables measured showed distinct seasonal patterns linked to the discharge hydrograph except respiration rate and PO4−3 concentration. Stepwise multiple regression analysis showed that alkalinity, calcium, fine suspended sediment, and sulfate were correlated, primarily, with the percentage of the total water discharge that was derived from Andean drainages. Silicate, potassium, and the weight percentages of carbon and nitrogen in the coarse suspended sediment were correlated with the percentage of water attributable to local lowland drainages. These correlations suggest that seasonal cycles of these variables were controlled by their source strength. Coarse suspended sediment and the concentration all of the particulate carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus species were correlated with river surface slope, suggesting that the seasonal cycles of these variables were controlled by river turbulence. The biogeochemically active elements O2, CO2, NO3− and SO4=, along with pH, Na, and Cl were all highly correlated with river discharge. The shapes of the seasonal cycles of O2 and CO2 and much of their amplitude could be reproduced by a quasi steady state model in which respiration was balanced by air-water gas exchange. In the model, increases in river depth during the annual cycle result in increased depth-integrated respiration rates. This produces a drawdown of O2 concentration, which increases air-water gas exchange, until the two processes are in balance. Thus the model produces seasonal cycles in which minimum dissolved O2 and maximum dissolved CO2 coincide with high water and the converse at low water, in agreement with the observations. The remainder of the amplitude signal was probably either advected in from upstream or produced by lateral exchange with the fringing floodplain.

Deforestation and sewage effects on aquatic macroinvertebrates in urban streams in Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil

In the last few years, awareness in developed countries has increased regarding the importance of urban watercourses as essential natural resources for human well being. Macroinvertebrates have been used as bioindicators to complement physico-chemical evaluation of water quality after environmental perturbations. The city of Manaus is closely associated with the Amazonian rain forest and with its dense hydrographic network. Any perturbation, such as deforestation and/or water pollution in the city’s streams, therefore causes changes in the local ecosystem as the population increases. In this study, 65 streams were sampled in October and November 2003. Samples were taken from stream-bed sediment in the center of the channel and litter/sediment at the edge of the stream. Deforestation, total Nitrogen (TN), total Phosphorus (TP), depth, width, electrical conductivity, temperature and dissolved Oxygen (DO) were measured. A total of 115,549 specimens were collected, distributed among 152 taxa. Oligochaeta, Chironomus, Psychodidae and Ceratopogonidae were the taxa with the greatest frequencies of occurrence and the highest total abundances. Higher deforestation, TN and TP were correlated with lower DO and greater electrical conductivity, pH and water temperature. Deforestation, TN and TP were not associated with water velocity and stream width. Depth was the only variable correlated (negatively) with deforestation and not correlated with TN and TP. Greater deforestation, TN and TP were correlated with lower richness of taxa; but these variables did not affect abundance. Canonical Correspondence Analysis ordenated the streams into two groups; the majority of the streams were in the group with high levels of deforestation and with high values of TP, TN, pH, electrical conductivity and temperature, where the macroinvertebrates were reduced to a few taxa. The other group was composed of streams that were well oxygenated and deep, where richness of taxa was higher. These results indicate changes in community composition in response to changes in environmental conditions. The highest taxa correlation was with streams that were well oxygenated and had the greatest depth and water velocity. Species Indicator Analysis identified 29 taxa as indicators of nonimpacted streams, 16 as indicators of deforested streams and three as indicators of streams impacted by deforestation and domestic sewage. Of the total sampled streams, 80% were impacted by deforestation and water pollution and had fauna tolerant of these perturbations. Water pollution, represented by TN and TP, affected the macroinvertebrate fauna in a way similar to deforestation, i.e., causing reduction in taxa richness, simplifying the insect community composition without changing abundance. Use of the taxa suggested in this study as environmental indicators could improve the evaluation of water quality in the streams in Central Amazonia.

The use of spaceborne radar data to model inundation patterns and trace gas emissions in the central Amazon floodplain

River floodplains are the dominant wetland habitat in the Amazon river basin, providing important habitation for aquatic flora and fauna, and playing a key role in sustaining regional fish production. The annual inundation pulse has been identified as the dominant environmental factor affecting aquatic biota on the floodplain, and the characteristics of this pulse, in terms of timing, duration and amplitude, vary spatially on the floodplain as a function of fluctuations in river stage height and topography. River floodplains are furthermore globally significant sources of methane (CH 4 ) and other trace gases essential to climate regulation. Refined information on wetland distributions and dynamics are currently needed to improve estimates of habitat availability and to calculate regional contributions of trace gases, especially CH 4, to the troposphere. This paper describes how multitemporal time series of spaceborne L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data from the Japanese Earth Resource Satellite 1 (JERS-1) were used to generate a model of the spatial and temporal variation of inundation on the floodplain of a typical black water river in the Central Brazilian Amazon and how this model was utilized, together with in situ measurements of river stage heights and CH4 fluxes, to model regional estimates of CH 4 emissions. We also demonstrate how a JERS-1 SAR time series can be used to map the spatial variation of flood duration on the floodplain, a key factor controlling local variations in plant biodiversity. For both applications, the availability of adequate time series of satellite sensor data is the prime factor affecting the reliability and accuracy of the flood models and the spatial details of the flood duration map. The availability of in situ data, especially daily river height measurements, was also critical for the development of the flooding model and for the subsequent decoupling of the model from the satellite sensor data.

A contribution to the chemical characterization of rivers in the Rio Negro Basin, Brazil

Water samples were collected in Middle Amazonia from the Amazon River, Rio Negro and 17 tributaries of Rio Negro. The analyses consisted of pH, conductivity, and dissolved organic (DOC) measurements, as well as plasma source mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Factor analysis revealed three factors, which explained 94% of the total variance. A plot of factor scores presented a cluster containing mostly samples from the Rio Negro Basin. Ultrafiltration tests confirmed that organics from the Rio Negro have higher molecular mass than in the Amazon, and that some metals are associated with these compounds. Heavy rare-earth elements (REE) are enriched relative to light REE in the dissolved fraction of most rivers of the Negro Basin; the opposite occurred in suspended matter.

Mixing patterns in Amazon lakes

The diel mixing patterns of two small floodplain lakes, Lago Jacaretinga in the Amazon drainage, and Lago Cristalino in the Rio Negro system, were investigated during both the high-water and low-water states of the Amazon River hydrograph. Measurements included temperature, oxygen, ammonia, phosphate, and chlorophyll. In both lakes thermal stratification developed during the day and was eroded at night. During the low-water period when the lakes were shallow, nocturnal circulation extended to the lake bottom, whereas when the lakes were deeper (greater than about 5 m), circulation did not reach the bottom and an anoxic hypolimnion developed. During the low-water period, percent of oxygen concentrations were relatively high but always less than saturation. Low oxygen concentrations were observed during the high-water period. At all times nocturnal mixing supplied a significant amount of oxygen to the lake ecosystems. Nighttime upward mixing of recycled nitrogen and phosphorus also appeared to be important nutrient sources for algal productivity.