Avulsions drive ecosystem services and economic changes in the Brazilian Pantanal wetlands

Louzada, Rômullo Oliveira; Bergier, Ivan; Roque, Fábio O.; McGlue, Michael M.; Silva, Aguinaldo; Assine, Mário Luís

doi:10.1016/j.crsust.2021.100057

Cited by 16 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 69 publications

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“…In the Pantanal, the intensive land use changes owing to cattle ranching and settlements that expanded in the 1970s have been implicated in higher rates of gully formation and land surface degradation of the upper Taquari River Basin (Louzada et al, 2020;Louzada et al, 2021). The Pantanal's large floodplain lakes Gaíva, Mandioré, and Baía Vermelha, are directly connected to the Paraguay River via tie channels, and while these lakes are far from urban areas, they are immediately downstream of areas that have been deforested (McGlue et al, 2011;Schulz et al, 2019).…”

Section: Aquatic Ecosystem Servicesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, excessive summer rainfall can impact the rate of river avulsions in the plains of the Pantanal (Bergier et al, 2018), whereas extreme drought can lead to reduced water availability, resulting in fish stock depletion and food insecurity for ribeirinhos, local people living closer to floodplains (Marengo et al, 2020). Floodplain lakes and wetlands associated with meandering rivers can permanently transform into dry landforms over decades or centuries with avulsions (Assine et al, 2015), fundamentally altering the spatial distribution of open water environments and ecosystem services (Louzada et al, 2020;Louzada et al, 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Sediment Infill of Tropical Floodplain Lakes: Rates, Controls, and Implications for Ecosystem Services

Yeager

Bergier

et al. 2022

Front. Earth Sci.

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Shallow lakes in tropical floodplains provide significant ecosystem services that can be altered by natural and anthropogenic forces. Despite their importance, little is known about the infill patterns and timescales and the magnitude of these changes in tropical floodplain lakes. Here, we present a global meta-analysis of sediment core-derived accumulation rate data for shallow floodplain lakes in tropical lowlands to quantify the timescales of basin infill. Environmental variables (e.g., sediment accumulation rates, bathymetry, surface area) were compiled from the literature or derived from remote sensing imagery, resulting in a database (n = 76 lakes) that includes various lake morphologies. Our results show an exponential increase in sediment accumulation rates in many of these lakes over the past 50 years, which we interpret as a response to growing human populations and deforestation, particularly in topographically steep watersheds with pronounced seasonal rainfall. Over centennial periods, tropical floodplain lakes accumulate sediment faster than many other extratropical lakes. The dataset suggests that complete infill of some tropical floodplain lakes will occur in as little as a few centuries. Our findings also reveal the critical environmental and human factors that influence sediment accumulation patterns and affect ecosystem services in shallow tropical floodplain lakes. These findings have important implications for water and sediment management in low latitude watersheds, many of which are located in densely populated and/or developing nations.

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Section: Aquatic Ecosystem Servicesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sediment Infill of Tropical Floodplain Lakes: Rates, Controls, and Implications for Ecosystem Services

Yeager

Bergier

et al. 2022

Front. Earth Sci.

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“…Avulsions reroute water and sediment across existing floodplains, in some cases leading to the creation of new floodplains along previously unoccupied flow paths (Roberts et al., 2003; Rosen & Xu, 2013; L. C. Smith, 2020; N. D. Smith et al., 1989, 1998; Zhang & Fang, 2017). For example, avulsion of the Saskatchewan River (Canada) replaced over 500 km 2 of wetlands with anabranching channels, splay complexes, and small lakes (N. D. Smith et al., 1989, 1998), avulsion of the Taquari River (Brazil) changed ecosystem services in the Brazilian Pantanal wetlands (Louzada et al., 2021), and avulsions of the Yellow River (China) are intimately linked to socioeconomic developments in Chinese history (Chen et al., 2012). Avulsions, therefore, can have major impacts on landforms, ecosystems, and human societies.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Athabasca River Avulsion Underway in the Peace‐Athabasca Delta, Canada

Wang

Smith

Gleason

et al. 2023

Water Resources Research

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Avulsions change river courses and transport water and sediment to new channels impacting infrastructure, floodplain evolution, and ecosystems. Abrupt avulsion events (occurring over days to weeks) are potentially catastrophic to society and thus receive more attention than slow avulsions, which develop over decades to centuries and can be challenging to identify. Here, we examine gradual channel changes of the Peace-Athabasca River Delta (PAD), Canada using in situ measurements and 37 years of Landsat satellite imagery. A developing avulsion of the Athabasca River is apparent along the Embarras River-Mamawi Creek (EM) distributary. Its opening and gradual enlargement since 1982 are evident from multiple lines of observation: Between 1984 and 2021 the discharge ratio between the EM and the Athabasca River more than doubled, increasing from 9% to 21%. The EM has widened by +53% since 1984, whereas the Athabasca River channel width has remained stable. The downstream Mamawi Creek delta is growing at a discharge-normalized rate roughly twice that of the Athabasca River delta in surface area. Longitudinal global navigation satellite systems field surveys of water surface elevation reveal the EM possesses a ∼2X slope advantage (8 × 10 −5 vs. 4 × 10 −5 ) over the Athabasca River, and unit stream power and bed shear stress suggest enhanced sediment transport and erosional capacity through the evolving flow path. Our findings: (a) indicate that a slow avulsion of the Athabasca River is underway with potentially long-term implications for inundation patterns, ecosystems, and human use of the PAD; and (b) demonstrate an observational approach for identifying other slow avulsions at river bifurcations globally.Plain Language Summary Avulsions shift river courses and move water and sediment to new channels, which affect infrastructure, floodplains, and ecosystems. Slow avulsions take decades to develop and are more difficult to identify. Using on-the-ground measurements and 37 years of Landsat satellite imagery, we analyze gradual channel changes in the Peace-Athabasca River Delta (PAD), Canada. The Athabasca River is changing course such that more of its water enters its westernmost outlet, the Embarras River-Mamawi Creek (EM) channel. Multiple lines of evidence demonstrate that the EM channel has been gradually opening since 1982. Between 1984 and 2021, the water entering the EM channel increased from 9% to 21% of the river's total flow. Since 1984, the EM channel has widened by 53%, while the Athabasca River channel has remained stable. The delta forming at the EM mouth (i.e., Mamawi Creek delta) has grown twice as fast as the Athabasca River delta. Field measurements of water surface elevation show the slope of the EM channel is twice as steep as the slope of the lower Athabasca River (8 × 10 −5 vs. 4 × 10 −5 ). Because water tends to flow down the steepest slope, we expect more water to flow down the EM channel in the future. Our findings indicate a slow capture of Athabasca River water into its EM channel, with potenti...

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“…Anthropic forcing led to the suppression of the vegetation in the region around the Pantanal, affecting the rivers that run off to the floodplains and causing as a consequence enormous socioeconomic damage (Marengo et al, 2021; Schulz et al, 2019). Land use change in the Pantanal maintains river instabilities and avulsion dynamics contributing for changes in the ecosystem services of provision and regulation and affecting cattle ranching and fishers (Bergier et al, 2018; Louzada et al, 2021). Increased sediment flows derived from the agricultural activities in the UPRB highland contribute to rising pesticide levels in the region (Roque et al, 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impacts of the landscape changes in the low streamflows of Pantanal headwaters—Brazil

Marques

2022

Hydrological Processes

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The Upper Paraguay Basin Plateau (UPRB) concentrates the headwaters and the largest volume of rain that supply the Pantanal biome and is essential for maintaining its water regime. Given the region's changes in land use and cover, this research sought to identify their influence on headwater flows. The use of conceptual models and time series analysis showed that the replacement of natural vegetation with pasture and the more recent activity of irrigated agriculture have produced changes in the hydrological response of the headwaters. There was a decreasing tendency of low flows during dry periods, which was correlated with anthropic changes in the use and cover of the land in the region. The research results point out changes in land use and cover as the cause of a significant decrease in streamflows during drier periods. Such behaviour at the headwaters of the Pantanal can have consequences for this biome, reducing the resilience of the system against droughts and damaging the biodiversity of the biome.

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Avulsions drive ecosystem services and economic changes in the Brazilian Pantanal wetlands

Cited by 16 publications

References 69 publications

Sediment Infill of Tropical Floodplain Lakes: Rates, Controls, and Implications for Ecosystem Services

Sediment Infill of Tropical Floodplain Lakes: Rates, Controls, and Implications for Ecosystem Services

Athabasca River Avulsion Underway in the Peace‐Athabasca Delta, Canada

Impacts of the landscape changes in the low streamflows of Pantanal headwaters—Brazil

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