Amazon watersheds are a complex ecosystem: the interaction between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems and the water level fluctuations are the main forcing function that regulates the biodiversity, the evolutionary processes and the interaction between terrestrial and aquatic biota in the large internal deltas, the extensive floodplains regions and the network of channels, creeks, rivers, meand...

The hydrodynamics of low-lying riverine floodplains and wetlands play a critical role in hydrology and ecosystem processes. Because small topographic features affect floodplain storage and flow velocity, a hydrodynamic model setup of these regions imposes more stringent requirements on the input Digital Elevation Model (DEM) compared to upland regions with comparatively high slopes. This curren...

Over history, humankind has tended to settle near streams because of the role of rivers as transportation corridors and the fertility of riparian areas. However, human settlements in floodplains have been threatened by the risk of flooding. Possible responses have been to resettle away and/or modify the river system by building flood control structures. This has led to a complex web of interact...

Floodplain sedimentation removes particles from fluvial transport and constructs stratigraphic records of flooding, biogeochemical sequestration and other aspects of the environmental history of river basins-insight that is enhanced by accurate geochronology. The natural fallout radionuclide (210)Pb, often employed to date lacustrine and marine sediments, has previously been used to determine f...

The Sacramento splittail (Pogonichthys macrolepidotus) is a cyprinid fish endemic to the Central Valley of California with a range that centers on the San Francisco Estuary. It is a state Species of Special Concern and was only recently (2003) delisted as a threatened species by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Splittail live 7-9 years, tolerate a wide range of environmental conditions, and...

Fish larvae require high densities of appropriately sized prey items for their survival and recruitment. It has been widely assumed that inundated floodplains are the major source of high densities of prey in floodplain rivers. This study examined the density and distribution of both pelagic and epibenthic meiofauna in a range of potential larval fish nursery habitats within the main channel of...

Biogeochemical processes in rivers are controlled by biological, chemical, geomorphic and hydrologic interactions. These interactions produce variable redox environments wherein microorganisms derive energy and synthesize tissue using oxidation-reduction reactions associated with several elements including C, N, P, S, and to a lesser extent Fe and Mn. Biogeochemistry of river water and surface ...

[1] We explore the mechanisms whereby groundwater influences terrestrial water storage (TWS) in the Amazon using GRACE observations and two contrasting versions of the LEAF-Hydro-Flood hydrological model: one with and the other without an interactive groundwater. We find that, first, where the water table is shallow as in northwestern Amazonia and floodplains elsewhere, subsurface stores (vados...

Glacial alpine landscapes are undergoing rapid transformation due to changes in climate. The loss of glacial ice mass has directly influenced hydrologic characteristics of alpine floodplains. Consequently, hyporheic sediment conditions are likely to change in the future as surface waters fed by glacial water (kryal) become groundwater dominated (krenal). Such environmental shifts may subsequent...

Astrocaryum jauari Mart. (Arecaceae) is one of the commonest palm species occurring in nutritionally poor Amazonian black water floodplains. It is an emergent or subcanopy tree that grows on river banks and islands, with a wide distribution along the entire flooding gradient, tolerating flood durations between 30 and 340 days. The species is important for fish nutrition in the floodplains, and ...