[1] The Congo (Zaire) River, the world's second largest river in terms both of water discharges and of drainage area after the Amazon River, has remained to date in a near-pristine state. For a period between 2 and 6 years, the mainstream near the river mouth (Brazzaville/Kinshasa station) and some of the major and minor tributaries (the Oubangui, Mpoko, and Ngoko-Sangha) were monitored every month for total suspended sediment (TSS), particulate organic carbon (POC), and dissolved organic carbon (DOC). In this large but relatively flat equatorial basin, TSS levels are very low and organic carbon is essentially exported as DOC: from 74% of TOC for the tributaries flowing in savannah regions and 86% for those flowing in the rain forest. The seasonal patterns of TSS, POC, and DOC show clockwise hysteresis in relation to river discharges, with maximum levels recorded 2 to 4 months before peak flows. At the Kinshasa/Brazzaville station, the DOC distribution is largely influenced by the input from the tributaries draining the large marshy forest area located in the center of the basin. There is a marked difference between specific fluxes, threefold higher in the forest basins than in the savannah basins. The computation of inputs to the Atlantic Ocean demonstrates that the Congo is responsible for 14.4 Â 10 6 t/yr of TOC of which 12.4 Â 10 6 t/yr is DOC and 2 Â 10 6 t/yr is POC. The three biggest tropical rivers (the Amazon, the Congo, and the Orinoco), with only 10% of the exoreic world area drained to world oceans, contribute $4% of its TSS inputs but 15-18% of its organic carbon inputs. These proportions may double when considering only world rivers discharging into the open ocean.Citation: Coynel, A., P. Seyler, H. Etcheber, M. Meybeck, and D. Orange (2005), Spatial and seasonal dynamics of total suspended sediment and organic carbon species in the Congo River, Global Biogeochem. Cycles, 19, GB4019,

As part of a joint Brazilian–French project, entitled ‘Hydrology and Geochemistry of the Amazon Basin’, we carried out a seven‐year study (1994–2000) on the distribution, behaviour and flux of particulate and dissolved organic carbon in the Amazon River and its main tributaries (the Negro, Solimões, Branco, Madeira, Tapajós, Xingú and Trombetas rivers).The concentrations of particulate and dissolved organic carbon varied from one river to another and according to the season, but dissolved organic carbon (DOC) always accounted for about 70% of the total organic carbon (TOC). The mean concentration of dissolved organic carbon was 6·1 mg l−1 in the Madeira River, 5·83 mg l−1 in the Solimões River and 12·7 mg l−1 in the Negro River. The percentage in weight of the particulate organic carbon decreased as the concentration of suspended matter increased. The Solimões River contributed the most carbon to the Amazon River: about 500 kg C s−1 during the high water period and about 300 kg C s−1 during the low water period. However, the temporal variations in organic carbon in the Amazon River (i.e. downstream of Manaus) are basically controlled by inputs from the Negro River and its variations. The Negro River does not produce a simple dilution effect. During the high water period (between March and August) the TOC flux, calculated as the sum of the Solimões, Negro and Madeira tributaries, was about 5·7 × 1013 g C yr−1, whereas during the low water period (between September and February) the TOC flux was about 2·6 × 1013 g C yr−1.The mean annual flux of TOC at Óbidos (the final gauging station upstream of the estuary) was about 3·27 × 1013 g C yr−1 (i.e. 32·7 ± 3·3 Tg yr−1). Of this, the flux of DOC represents about 2·7 × 1013 g C yr−1 and the flux of particulate organic carbon (POC) represents about 0·5 × 1013 g C yr−1. The mean annual input of TOC by all tributaries (Negro, Solimões, Madeira, Trombetas, Tapajós and Xingú) was about 2·8 × 1013 g C yr−1. When we compared this input with the output recorded at Óbidos (3·27 × 1013 g C yr−1), we found that the amount of organic carbon increased (about 0·4 × 1013 g C yr−1). This shows that other important sources of organic carbon exist in the lower reaches of the Amazon River. These inputs can be attributed to the adjacent floodplain lake system, called ‘várzea’. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The floodplains of the Amazon basin influence the hydrology and fluxes of suspended solids and solutes on multiple scales. Our study focused on the floodplain of Lago Grande de Curuaí (Óbidos, Brazil), a 4000 km 2 segment of floodplain and local upland catchment representative of the lower Amazon. Based on in situ and satellite data acquired from 1997 to 2003, we calculated the exchanges of water between the floodplain and the river and determined the temporal dynamics of flooded area water derived from river flooding, rainfall, runoff, and exchange with groundwater annually for six years. The Amazon River dominated the inputs of water to the flooded area year-round, accounting about 77% of the annual total inputs; rainfall and runoff accounted for about 9% and 10%, respectively, while seepage from the groundwater system accounted for 4%. The hydrologic residence time of the lake was about three months, and the floodplain made a net contribution of water to the river. The exported volume (net balance between water input and 0022-1694/$ -see front matter ª a v a i l a b l e a t w w w . s c i e n c e d i r e c t . c o m j o u r n a l h o m e p a g e : w w w . e l s e v i e r . c o m / l o c a t e / j h y d r o l losses) varied between 4.2 and 7.3 km 3 depending on the year and represented about 0.75 times the maximal storage reached each year. ª

International audienceMethane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations and water-air fluxes were measured in three tropical reservoirs and their respective rivers downstream of the dams. From reservoirs, CH4 and CO2 flux were in the range of 3 +/- 2 and 254 +/- 392 mmol.m-2.d-1, respectively. Rivers downstream of dams were significantly enriched in CH4 and CO2 originating from reservoir hypolimnions. From rivers, CH4 and CO2 flux were in the range of 60 +/- 38 and 859 +/- 400 mmol.m-2.d-1, respectively. Despite their relatively small surfaces, rivers downstream of dams accounted for a significant fraction (9-33% for CH4 and 7-25% for CO2) of the emissions across the reservoir surfaces classically taken into account for reservoirs. A significant fraction of CH4 appeared to degas at the vicinity of the dam (turbines and spillways), although it could not be quantified

Rare earth element (REE) concentrations and neodymium isotopic composition (ɛNd) are tracers for ocean circulation and biogeochemistry. Although models suggest that REE release from lithogenic sediment in river discharge may dominate all other REE inputs to the oceans, the occurrence, mechanisms and magnitude of such a source are still debated. Here we present the first simultaneous observations of dissolved (<0.45 μm), colloidal and particulate REE and ɛNd in the Amazon estuary. A sharp drop in dissolved REE in the low-salinity zone is driven by coagulation of colloidal matter. At mid-salinities, total dissolved REE levels slightly increase, while ɛNd values are shifted from the dissolved Nd river endmember (−8.9) to values typical of river suspended matter (−10.6). Combining a Nd isotope mass balance with apparent radium isotope ages of estuarine waters suggests a rapid (3 weeks) and globally significant Nd release by dissolution of lithogenic suspended sediments.

[1] The composition, sources, and age of particulate organic matter were determined in an Amazonian river-floodplain system during rising, high, falling, and low water periods over 7 yr (1999)(2000)(2001)(2002)(2003)(2004)(2005)(2006), and a mass balance for total organic carbon (dissolved and particulate) was estimated. The Curuai floodplain, composed of several temporally interconnected lakes, is permanently connected to the Amazon River via channels. Organic matter (OM) is imported to the floodplain from the Amazon River mainly during the rising water period and produced in the floodplain and exported to the river during high and falling water periods. No significant exchanges occurred during low water periods. The OM produced in the floodplain is characterized by low C/N ratios and by high chlorophyll a concentrations (Chl-a). The d 13 C signature has a seasonal trend, with more negative d 13 C values during the high water period than other periods. Δ 14 C results indicate that the bulk OM present in floodplain lakes is predominantly post-bomb (i.e., post-1950). Particulate organic carbon (POC) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) fluxes exported by the Curuai floodplain represent 1.3% and 0.1%, respectively, of the POC and DOC annual fluxes in the mainstem Amazon River at Óbidos but may reach up to 3.3% and 0.8% during falling water. Based on Δ 14 C, d 13 C, Chl-a, and elemental analysis of the particulate organic matter, we demonstrate that floodplain lakes have intense phytoplankton and macrophyte primary production, which is partly exported to the main river channel. Floodplains are thus a significant source of modern and labile organic carbon to the river mainstem, where it can be rapidly degraded and recycled back to the atmosphere.Citation: Moreira-Turcq, P., M.-P. Bonnet, M. Amorim, M. Bernardes, C. Lagane, L. Maurice, M. Perez, and P. Seyler (2013), Seasonal variability in concentration, composition, age, and fluxes of particulate organic carbon exchanged between the floodplain and Amazon River, Global Biogeochem. Cycles, 27,[119][120][121][122][123][124][125][126][127][128][129][130]

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