| 1. |
- Bertassoli, Dailson J. Jr., et al.
(författare)
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How green can Amazon hydropower be? : Net carbon emission from the largest hydropower plant in Amazonia
- 2021
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Ingår i: Science Advances. - : American Association for the Advancement of Science. - 2375-2548. ; 7:26
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The current resurgence of hydropower expansion toward tropical areas has been largely based on run-of-the-river (ROR) dams, which are claimed to have lower environmental impacts due to their smaller reservoirs. The Belo Monte dam was built in Eastern Amazonia and holds the largest installed capacity among ROR power plants worldwide. Here, we show that postdamming greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the Belo Monte area are up to three times higher than preimpoundment fluxes and equivalent to about 15 to 55 kg CO(2)eq MWh(-1). Since per-area emissions in Amazonian reservoirs are significantly higher than global averages, reducing flooded areas and prioritizing the power density of hydropower plants seem to effectively reduce their carbon footprints. Nevertheless, total GHG emissions are substantial even from this leading-edge ROR power plant. This argues in favor of avoiding hydropower expansion in Amazonia regardless of the reservoir type.
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| 2. |
- Sawakuchi, Henrique, et al.
(författare)
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Low Diffusive Methane Emissions From the Main Channel of a Large Amazonian Run-of-the-River Reservoir Attributed to High Methane Oxidation
- 2021
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Environmental Science. - : Frontiers Media S.A.. - 2296-665X. ; 9
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The global development of hydropower dams has rapidly expanded over the last several decades and has spread to historically non-impounded systems such as the Amazon Rivers main low land tributaries in Brazil. Despite the recognized significance of reservoirs to the global methane (CH4) emission, the processes controlling this emission remain poorly understood, especially in Tropical reservoirs. Here we evaluate CH4 dynamics in the main channel and downstream of the Santo Antonio hydroelectric reservoir, a large tropical run-of-the-river (ROR) reservoir in Amazonia. This study is intended to give a snapshot of the CH4 dynamics during the falling water season at the initial stage after the start of operations. Our results show substantial and higher CH4 production in reservoirs littoral sediment than in the naturally flooded areas downstream of the dam. Despite the large production in the reservoir or naturally flooded areas, high CH4 oxidation in the main channel keep the concentration and fluxes of CH4 in the main channel low. Similar CH4 concentrations in the reservoir and downstream close to the dam suggest negligible degassing at the dam, but stable isotopic evidence indicates the presence of a less oxidized pool of CH4 after the dam. ROR reservoirs are designed to disturb the natural river flow dynamics less than traditional reservoirs. If enough mixing and oxygenation remain throughout the reservoirs water column, naturally high CH4 oxidation rates can also remain and limit the diffusive CH4 emissions from the main channel. Nevertheless, it is important to highlight that our results focused on emissions in the deep and oxygenated main channel. High emissions, mainly through ebullition, may occur in the vast and shallow areas represented by bays and tributaries. However, detailed assessments are still required to understand the impacts of this reservoir on the annual emissions of CH4.
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| 3. |
- Sawakuchi, Henrique O., et al.
(författare)
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Methane emissions from Amazonian Rivers and their contribution to the global methane budget
- 2014
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Ingår i: Global Change Biology. - : Wiley-Blackwell. - 1354-1013 .- 1365-2486. ; 20:9, s. 2829-2840
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Methane (CH4) fluxes from world rivers are still poorly constrained, with measurements restricted mainly to temperate climates. Additional river flux measurements, including spatio-temporal studies, are important to refine extrapolations. Here we assess the spatio-temporal variability of CH4 fluxes from the Amazon and its main tributaries, the Negro, Solimoes, Madeira, Tapajos, Xingu, and Para Rivers, based on direct measurements using floating chambers. Sixteen of 34 sites were measured during low and high water seasons. Significant differences were observed within sites in the same river and among different rivers, types of rivers, and seasons. Ebullition contributed to more than 50% of total emissions for some rivers. Considering only river channels, our data indicate that large rivers in the Amazon Basin release between 0.40 and 0.58 Tg CH4 yr(-1). Thus, our estimates of CH4 flux from all tropical rivers and rivers globally were, respectively, 19-51% to 31-84% higher than previous estimates, with large rivers of the Amazon accounting for 22-28% of global river CH4 emissions.
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| 4. |
- Sawakuchi, Henrique O., et al.
(författare)
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Oxidative mitigation of aquatic methane emissions in large Amazonian rivers
- 2016
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Ingår i: Global Change Biology. - : WILEY-BLACKWELL. - 1354-1013 .- 1365-2486. ; 22:3, s. 1075-1085
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The flux of methane (CH4) from inland waters to the atmosphere has a profound impact on global atmospheric greenhouse gas (GHG) levels, and yet, strikingly little is known about the dynamics controlling sources and sinks of CH4 in the aquatic setting. Here, we examine the cycling and flux of CH4 in six large rivers in the Amazon basin, including the Amazon River. Based on stable isotopic mass balances of CH4, inputs and outputs to the water column were estimated. We determined that ecosystem methane oxidation (MOX) reduced the diffusive flux of CH4 by approximately 28-96% and varied depending on hydrologic regime and general geochemical characteristics of tributaries of the Amazon River. For example, the relative amount of MOX was maximal during high water in black and white water rivers and minimal in clear water rivers during low water. The abundance of genetic markers for methane-oxidizing bacteria (pmoA) was positively correlated with enhanced signals of oxidation, providing independent support for the detected MOX patterns. The results indicate that MOX in large Amazonian rivers can consume from 0.45 to 2.07 Tg CH4 yr(-1), representing up to 7% of the estimated global soil sink. Nevertheless, climate change and changes in hydrology, for example, due to construction of dams, can alter this balance, influencing CH4 emissions to atmosphere.
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| 5. |
- Valerio, Aline M., et al.
(författare)
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CO2 partial pressure and fluxes in the Amazon River plume using in situ and remote sensing data
- 2021
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Ingår i: Continental Shelf Research. - : PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD. - 0278-4343 .- 1873-6955. ; 215
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Estimations of the global carbon budget include a quantitative understanding of the evolving processes that occur along river-to-ocean gradients. However, high spatiotemporal resolution observations of these processes are limited. Here we present in situ measurements of the partial pressure of CO2 (pCO(2)) made through the Amazon River plume (ARP) during different discharge seasons, from 2010 to 2012. We evaluated the spatiotemporal distribution of pCO(2) using Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) satellite observations for each hydrologic period in the ARP. Regression models were used to estimate pCO(2) at the ARP for the period of 2010-2014. From these distributions we calculated sea-air gas exchange of CO2 between the plume waters and the atmosphere (F-co2(sea)). Intra-annual variability of Fseaco(2) was related to discharge at the river mouth and ocean currents as well as trade winds in the plume. Climatic events during the study period had a significant impact on the Fsea co(2). Including the plume area closer to the river mouth makes the ARP a net source of CO2 with an annual net sea-air flux of 8.6 +/- 7.1 Tg C y(-1) from 2011 to 2014.
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| 6. |
- Ward, Nicholas D., et al.
(författare)
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Enhanced Aquatic Respiration Associated With Mixing of Clearwater Tributary and Turbid Amazon River Waters
- 2019
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Earth Science. - : Frontiers Media S.A.. - 2296-6463. ; 7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- When water bodies with unique biogeochemical constituents mix together there is potential for diverse responses by aquatic microbial communities and associated ecosystem functions. Here we evaluate bulk respiration under varying mixtures of turbid Amazon River water and two lowland tributaries-the Tapajos and Xingu rivers-based on O-2 drawdown in dark rotating incubation chambers. Experiments containing 5, 17, 33, and 50% tributary water mixed with Amazon River water were performed for the Tapajos and Xingu rivers at three different rotation velocities (0, 0.22, and 0.66 m s(-1)) during the falling water period. Pseudo first order reaction coefficients (k'), a measure of respiration potential, ranged from -0.15 to -1.10 d(-1), corresponding to respiration rates from 1.0 to 8.1 mg O-2 L d(-1). k'-values consistently increased with the rate of chamber rotation, and also was generally higher in the tributary-mainstem mixtures compared to pure endmembers. For both the Tapajos and Xingu rivers, the 17% mixture of tributary water yielded maximal k'-values, which were up to 2.9 and 2.2 times greater than in the tributary endmembers, respectively. The 50% mixtures, on the other hand, did not result in large increases in k'. We hypothesize that enhanced respiration potential after mixing unique water is driven, in part, by microbial priming effects that have been previously identified on a molecular level for these rivers. The results of this study suggest that there may be an optimal mixture for priming effects to occur in terms of the relative abundance of "priming" and "primed" substrates.
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