Analysis and synthesis of carbon dynamics on Amazon floodplains
John
M
Melack, University of California, Santa Barbara,, melack@lifesci.ucsb.edu
(Presenting)
Laura
L
Hess, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espacias, Sao Jose dos Campos, Brasil,, lola@icess.ucsb.edu
Bruce
R
Forsberg, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, Brasil, brforsberg@gmail.com
Sally
MacIntyre, University of California, Santa Barbara, sally@icess.ucsb.edu
Thiago
SF
Silva, Dept. of Geography, Univ. of Victoria, Victoria, Canada, thiago@uvic.ca
Conrado
M
Rudorff, Bren School, Univ. of California, Santa Barbara, cmr@bren.ucsb.edu
About 20% of the Amazon basin is seasonally inundated, and these wetlands are sites of intense biological activity that can have a strong influence on the regional carbon dynamics. To quantify this influence it is necessary to improve estimates of the fluxes and balance of carbon, incorporating the principal sources of spatial and temporal variability and developing numerical models to simulate and integrate their effects. We are investigating three unresolved issues: 1) The role of aquatic herbaceous macrophytes and litterfall from flooded forests as sources of organic carbon fueling the outgassing of carbon dioxide and methane from wetlands and rivers. 2) The regional, seasonal and interannual variations in evasion of methane and carbon dioxide. 3) The inundation dynamics of floodplains on multiple scales, and their function as a physical template for biogeochemical processes. Our research will be performed at three spatial scales: 1)Whole lowland basin subdivided into river basins. 2) Solimões River and associated floodplains and lakes in the reach from Coari to Manaus. 3) Lago Grande de Curuai, a system of shallow, interconnected lakes linked to the Amazon River by several channels, and representative of floodplains in the lower reaches. (Project started January 2010)
Presentation Type: Poster
Poster Session: Carbon Cycle Science
NASA TE Funded Awards Represented:
Melack, John
Analysis and Synthesis of Carbon Dynamics on Amazon Floodplains