Hydrodynamic and transport constituents analysis of the lower Amazon River

• Grant number: 14/21576-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: November 01, 2014
• End date: March 31, 2018
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Ecology - Ecosystems Ecology
• Principal Investigator: Jeffrey Edward Richey
• Grantee: Maria de Lourdes Cavalcanti Barros
• Host Institution: Centro de Energia Nuclear na Agricultura (CENA). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Piracicaba , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 12/51187-0 - Net ecosystem exchange of lower Amazon River: from land to the ocean and atmosphere, AP.PFPMCG.SPEC

Abstract

The purpose of the research is to analyze and develop a hydrologic model coupled to hydrodynamic and transport constituents models from the lower Amazon River to the Atlantic Ocean, providing quantitative understanding of the liquid exchanging of the ecosystem. The aim is to integrate the main initiatives of project "Trocas" to understand the dynamic of water flow and the organic matter sources that culminate in high production of CO2 over the last 900 km of the Amazon River. The modeling studies of the hydrodynamics and transport of constituents require the use of robust and tested models. It will be used the model SisBaHiA (developed by the Programa de Engenharia Naval e Oceânica da Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro - PENO/COPPE/UFRJ), which is a system of computer models applied to a wide range of natural bodies of water, and VIC (Variable Infiltration Capacity developed by the University of Washington), a macroscale hydrologic model that solves full water and energy balances. With the coupling of these two models, it will be possible to perform a consistent analysis of the exchanging processes between the ecosystem of the region and the atmosphere.