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Episodic sediment accumulation on Amazonian flood plains influenced by El Niño/Southern Oscillation

Author

Listed:
  • Rolf Aalto

    (Quaternary Research Center University of Washington
    University of Washington)

  • Laurence Maurice-Bourgoin

    (UMR Laboratoire des Mécanismes de Transfert en Géologie)

  • Thomas Dunne

    (University of California)

  • David R. Montgomery

    (Quaternary Research Center University of Washington
    University of Washington)

  • Charles A. Nittrouer

    (University of Washington)

  • Jean-Loup Guyot

    (IRD, UMR LMTG, CNRS/IRD Paul Sabatier University)

Abstract

Continental-scale rivers with a sandy bed sequester a significant proportion of their sediment load in flood plains. The spatial extent and depths of such deposits have been described1,2, and flood-plain accumulation has been determined at decadal timescales3,4,5, but it has not been possible to identify discrete events or to resolve deposition on near-annual timescales. Here we analyse 210Pb activity profiles from sediment cores taken in the pristine Beni and Mamore river basins, which together comprise 720,000 km2 of the Amazon basin, to investigate sediment accumulation patterns in the Andean–Amazonian foreland. We find that in most locations, sediment stratigraphy is dominated by discrete packages of sediments of uniform age, which are typically 20–80 cm thick, with system-wide recurrence intervals of about 8 yr, indicating relatively rare episodic deposition events. Ocean temperature and stream flow records link these episodic events to rapidly rising floods associated with La Niña events, which debouch extraordinary volumes of sediments from the Andes. We conclude that transient processes driven by the El Niño/Southern Oscillation cycle control the formation of the Bolivian flood plains and modulate downstream delivery of sediments as well as associated carbon, nutrients and pollutants to the Amazon main stem.

Suggested Citation

  • Rolf Aalto & Laurence Maurice-Bourgoin & Thomas Dunne & David R. Montgomery & Charles A. Nittrouer & Jean-Loup Guyot, 2003. "Episodic sediment accumulation on Amazonian flood plains influenced by El Niño/Southern Oscillation," Nature, Nature, vol. 425(6957), pages 493-497, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:425:y:2003:i:6957:d:10.1038_nature02002
    DOI: 10.1038/nature02002
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    Cited by:

    1. Lucas C. R. Silva & Rodrigo Studart Corrêa & Jamie L. Wright & Barbara Bomfim & Lauren B. Hendricks & Daniel G. Gavin & Aleksander Westphal Muniz & Gilvan Coimbra Martins & Antônio Carlos Vargas Motta, 2022. "Reply to: Evidence confirms an anthropic origin of Amazonian Dark Earths," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-4, December.

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