Suspended sediment fluxes in the large river basins of Brazil

摘要

In Brazil, measurements of suspended sediment transport have been undertaken regularly since 1970 at a number of stations located on the main rivers. The database resulting from those measurements now makes it possible to study the sediment loads of the largest river basins. The primary objective of this paper is to present a preliminary study of the suspended sediment loads of Brazil's largest river basins, namely the Amazon, Tocantins, Sao Francisco and Parana rivers. In view of the available data and the importance of information on sediment loads, this analysis has also been extended to other important basins of the country. The sediment balance along each river was assessed by comparing the mean suspended sediment load of successive measuring stations. Values of mean annual suspended sediment concentration and discharge have been calculated for each station. The total suspended sediment production from the territory of Brazil has been estimated to be 610 x 106 t year-1.