Increased energy demand has led to plans for building many new dams in the western Amazon, mostly in the Andean region. Historical data and mechanistic scenarios are used to examine potential impacts ...above and below six of the largest dams planned for the region, including reductions in downstream sediment and nutrient supplies, changes in downstream flood pulse, changes in upstream and downstream fish yields, reservoir siltation, greenhouse gas emissions and mercury contamination. Together, these six dams are predicted to reduce the supply of sediments, phosphorus and nitrogen from the Andean region by 69, 67 and 57% and to the entire Amazon basin by 64, 51 and 23%, respectively. These large reductions in sediment and nutrient supplies will have major impacts on channel geomorphology, floodplain fertility and aquatic productivity. These effects will be greatest near the dams and extend to the lowland floodplains. Attenuation of the downstream flood pulse is expected to alter the survival, phenology and growth of floodplain vegetation and reduce fish yields below the dams. Reservoir filling times due to siltation are predicted to vary from 106-6240 years, affecting the storage performance of some dams. Total CO2 equivalent carbon emission from 4 Andean dams was expected to average 10 Tg y-1 during the first 30 years of operation, resulting in a MegaWatt weighted Carbon Emission Factor of 0.139 tons C MWhr-1. Mercury contamination in fish and local human populations is expected to increase both above and below the dams creating significant health risks. Reservoir fish yields will compensate some downstream losses, but increased mercury contamination could offset these benefits.
Hundreds of dams have been proposed throughout the Amazon basin, one of the world's largest untapped hydropower frontiers. While hydropower is a potentially clean source of renewable energy, some ...projects produce high greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions per unit electricity generated (carbon intensity). Here we show how carbon intensities of proposed Amazon upland dams (median = 39 kg CO
eq MWh
, 100-year horizon) are often comparable with solar and wind energy, whereas some lowland dams (median = 133 kg CO
eq MWh
) may exceed carbon intensities of fossil-fuel power plants. Based on 158 existing and 351 proposed dams, we present a multi-objective optimization framework showing that low-carbon expansion of Amazon hydropower relies on strategic planning, which is generally linked to placing dams in higher elevations and smaller streams. Ultimately, basin-scale dam planning that considers GHG emissions along with social and ecological externalities will be decisive for sustainable energy development where new hydropower is contemplated.
Climate change and its effects on the hydrologic regime of the Amazon basin can impact biogeochemical processes, transportation, flood vulnerability, fisheries and hydropower generation. We examined ...projections of climate change on discharge and inundation extent in the Amazon basin using the regional hydrological model MGB-IPH with 1-dimensional river hydraulic and water storage simulation in floodplains. Future projections (2070–2099) were obtained from five GCMs from IPCC’s Fifth Assessment Report CMIP5. Climate projections have uncertainty and results from different climate models did not agree in total Amazon flooded area or discharge anomalies along the main stem river. Overall, model runs agree better with wetter (drier) conditions over western (eastern) Amazon. Results indicate that increased mean and maximum river discharge for large rivers draining the Andes in the northwest contributes to increased mean and maximum discharge and inundation extent over Peruvian floodplains and Solimões River (annual mean-max: +9 % - +18.3 %) in western Amazonia. Decreased river discharges (mostly dry season) are projected for eastern basins, and decreased inundation extent at low water (annual min) in the central (−15.9 %) and lower Amazon (−4.4 %).
Tropical reservoirs upstream from hydroelectric dams are known to release significant amounts of methane to the atmosphere. Here we demonstrate that methane emissions downstream from hydroelectric ...dams can also be large. Emissions of CH4 downstream of Balbina reservoir in the central Amazon basin (Brazil) were calculated from regular measurements of degassing in the outflow of the turbines and downstream diffusive losses. Annual emissions from the reservoir surface and downstream from the dam were 34 and 39 Gg C, respectively. The downstream emission alone represented the equivalent of 3% of all methane released from central Amazon floodplain.
Dissolved organic matter (DOM) is the main substrate for aquatic prokaryotes, fuelling their metabolism and controlling community composition. Amazonian rivers transport and process large fluxes of ...terrestrial DOM, but little is known about the link between DOM composition and heterotrophic bacteria in the Amazon basin. The aims of this study were to characterize DOM composition and investigate the coupling between DOM and bacterial community composition (BCC) during a complete hydrological cycle in an Amazon floodplain system (lake Janauacá). Our study revealed a clear seasonal pattern in DOM composition through the flood pulse, which affected the amounts of autochthonous and allochthonous inputs and consequently the extent of humification, molecular weight, and aromaticity of the DOM. BCC was tightly coupled to DOM fluorescence, which was also driven by differences over the hydrological cycle, with distinct components and operational taxonomic units being simultaneously more abundant and correlating with a specific season. This coupling was particularly well reflected for three of the four identified fluorescence components, two terrestrial humic-like components (C1 and C3) and an autochthonous component (C4). Despite clear changes in DOM composition, dissolved organic carbon concentrations tended to be relatively stable throughout the year. Overall, our results suggest that BCC shifts were associated with DOM quality but not with its quantity (that remains relatively constant throughout the year), and that bacteria preferably use labile and freshly produced DOM in lake Janauacá.
We investigated the impact of the seasonal inundation of wetlands on methylmercury (MeHg) concentration dynamics in the Amazon river system. We sampled 38 sites along the Solimões/Amazon and Negro ...rivers and their tributaries during distinct phases of the annual flood-pulse. MeHg dynamics in both basins was contrasted to provide insight into the factors controlling export of MeHg to the Amazon system. The export of MeHg by rivers was substantially higher during high-water in both basins since elevated MeHg concentrations and discharge occurred during this time. MeHg concentration was positively correlated to %flooded area upstream of the sampling site in the Solimões/Amazon Basin with the best correlation obtained using 100 km buffers instead of whole basin areas. The lower correlations obtained with the whole basin apparently reflected variable losses of MeHg exported from upstream wetlands due to demethylation, absorption, deposition, and degradation before reaching the sampling site. A similar correlation between %flooded area and MeHg concentrations was not observed in the Negro Basin probably due to the variable export of MeHg from poorly drained soils that are abundant in this basin but not consistently flooded.
Although many upstream effects of a dam on the trophic ecology of fish have been reported, little is known about their downstream effects on the isotopic niche of Amazonian predator fish. The authors ...used stable isotope analysis of δ13C and δ15N to determine the downstream effects of damming of the Uatumã River on the niche width, carbon energy sources and trophic position of peacock bass Cichla temensis comparing with a free‐flowing river in the Amazon basin, Brazil, during the peak flood and early falling water period of 2020. They found that the C. temensis population of the undammed river had a smaller niche width than the C. temensis population of the dammed river, despite the greater number of prey trophic levels utilized and the higher trophic position of C. temensis individuals. The results demonstrate that in both rivers there is a gradual shift in the contribution of prey fish sources to the diet of C. temensis throughout its growth, even among adult individuals. They conclude that the isotopic niche of C. temensis was altered by damming during the period of late high water to early low water in the Uatumã River.
Migratory species are the most important commercial fishes in the Amazon. They are also now the most threatened directly by some combination of overfishing, floodplain deforestation, and dam ...construction. Limited governmental monitoring and implemented regulations impede adequate management of the fisheries at adequate scale. We summarize the current stock status of the three most heavily exploited long-distance migratory species, which are two goliath catfishes (Brachyplatystoma rousseauxii and B. vaillantii) and the characiform Colossoma macropomum. In addition, we analyze impacts beyond overfishing on these species. Our results indicate: (i) the overfishing trends for these important species are either ominous or indicate the verge of collapse of the commercial fisheries based on them, and (ii) a dangerous synergy between overfishing, hydroelectric dams, and floodplain deforestation further challenge fisheries management of migratory species in the Amazon. We propose eight direct governmental actions as a proactive approach that addresses the main impacts on the fisheries. We consider that the most practical way to assess and manage overfishing of migratory species in the short run in an area as large as the main commercial fishing area in the Amazon is at market sites where enforced regulations can control fish catch. The management of the three species considered here has implications beyond just their sustainability. Their management would represent a paradigm shift where the governments assume their legal responsibilities in fishery management. These responsibilities include regulation enforcement, data collecting, inter-jurisdictional cooperation to protect migratory species at realistic life history scales, mitigation of the Madeira dams to assure goliath catfish passage to the largest western headwater region, and recognition of monitoring and managing wetland deforestation for the protection of fish and other aquatic and terrestrial biodiversity.
Individual dietary specialization is one of the factors that promotes variation in resource use at the individual level. Here we used stable isotope analysis of multiple tissues with different ...turnover rates to examine the degree of individual specialization in two sub-populations of the predator
inhabiting both fragmented and undammed rivers within the Uatumã River basin of the Amazon. Our results showed that the undammed river provides better conditions to promote individual dietary specialization than the fragmented river. This study contributes to the understanding of how specific life history characteristics of populations of generalist predators are impacted by fragmentation within megadiverse environments such as the Amazon basin.
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