Publication Abstracts

Papa et al. 2013

Papa, F., F. Frappart, A. Güntner, C. Prigent, F. Aires, A.C.V. Getirana, and R. Maurer, 2013: Surface freshwater storage and variability in the Amazon basin from multi-satellite observations, 1993-2007. J. Geophys. Res. Atmos., 118, no. 21, 11951-11965, doi:10.1002/2013JD020500.

The amount of water stored and moving through the surface water bodies of large river basins (river, floodplains, wetlands) plays a major role in the global water and biochemical cycles and is a critical parameter for water resources management. However, the spatiotemporal variations of these freshwater reservoirs are still widely unknown at the global scale. Here, we propose a hypsographic curve approach to estimate surface freshwater storage variations over the Amazon basin combining surface water extent from a multi-satellite-technique with topographic data from the Global Digital Elevation Model (GDEM) from Advance Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER). Monthly surface water storage variations for 1993-2007 are presented, showing a strong seasonal and interannual variability, and are evaluated against in situ river discharge and precipitation. The basin-scale mean annual amplitude of ∼1200 km3 is in the range of previous estimates and contributes to about half of the Gravity Recovery And Climate Experiment (GRACE) total water storage variations. For the first time, we map the surface water volume anomaly during the extreme droughts of 1997 (October-November) and 2005 (September-October) and found that during these dry events the water stored in the river and floodplains of the Amazon basin was, respectively, ∼230 (∼40%) and 210 (∼50%) km3 below the 1993-2007 average. This new 15 year data set of surface water volume represents an unprecedented source of information for future hydrological or climate modeling of the Amazon. It is also a first step toward the development of such database at the global scale.

Export citation: [ BibTeX ] [ RIS ]

BibTeX Citation

@article{pa06400n,
  author={Papa, F. and Frappart, F. and Güntner, A. and Prigent, C. and Aires, F. and Getirana, A. C. V. and Maurer, R.},
  title={Surface freshwater storage and variability in the Amazon basin from multi-satellite observations, 1993-2007},
  year={2013},
  journal={Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres},
  volume={118},
  number={21},
  pages={11951--11965},
  doi={10.1002/2013JD020500},
}

[ Close ]

RIS Citation

TY  - JOUR
ID  - pa06400n
AU  - Papa, F.
AU  - Frappart, F.
AU  - Güntner, A.
AU  - Prigent, C.
AU  - Aires, F.
AU  - Getirana, A. C. V.
AU  - Maurer, R.
PY  - 2013
TI  - Surface freshwater storage and variability in the Amazon basin from multi-satellite observations, 1993-2007
JA  - J. Geophys. Res. Atmos.
JO  - Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres
VL  - 118
IS  - 21
SP  - 11951
EP  - 11965
DO  - 10.1002/2013JD020500
ER  -

[ Close ]

• Return to 2013 Publications

• Return to Publications Homepage