Cette étude de biogéochimie illustre à travers le cas du bassin de l'Amazone la manière dont les conditions climatiques influent sur l'environnement à travers le fonctionnement des systèmes complexes que sont la forêt, le sol et les fleuves. Elle montre que la production de dioxyde de carbone est en relation directe avec les pluies et leur absorption par les sols. ©Electre 2024

The Amazon River Basin, representing a large part of the whole world metabolism, is a unique case study of hydro-bio-geo-chemistry, principally because of its ability to drive enormous quantities of carbon and water, through a giant rain forest and a vast tropical soil cover.

Natural chemical and isotopic coherence within the huge Amazon System is tested and some classical concepts are revisited. This work is supposed to answer to the question : What are the optimal climatic conditions, insuring the maximal efficiency, for forests, soils and rivers to control our Global Environment. The method, for studying the physiological metabolism of complex living Systems, is general and can be easily extended to small or large basins, in all climatic conditions around the world.

One of the major merit of this book might be perhaps to have shown that the Carbon-Cycle is governed by the Water-Cycle. Carbon dioxide production, respiration and consumption are respectively but intrinsically related to rain-fall, evaporation-transpiration and soil-river water drainage. All environmental parameters are continuously subject to climatic oscillations. Original data and intermediate calculation steps are all published in organized tables, presented in the text and ready for further treatment. Thus, readers could verify the exactitude of all the processes discussed, teachers may conduct exercises and training, and students could learn how to treat huge datasets and educate their diagnostic.

This book is intended for undergraduate and graduate students, researchers, engineers, and particularly professors in environmental sciences. Teaching the fundamental approach of various scientific disciplines is critical to further applications, such as river basin management, petroleum and uranium exploration, protection of sites, detection of contaminants and control of pollutants.