The Biogeochemistry of the Amazon Basin [Hardcover]

With a complex assemblage of largely intact ecosystems that support the earth's greatest diversity of life, the Amazon basin is a focal point of international scientific interest. And, as development and colonization schemes transform the landscape in increasing measure, scientists from around the world are directing attention to questions of regional and global significance. Some of these qustions are: What are the fluxes of greenhouse gases across the atmospheric interface of ecosystems? How mush carbon is stored in the biomass and soils of the basin? How are elements from the land transferred to the basin's surface waters? What is the sum of elements transferred from land to ocean, and what is its marine fate ? This book of original chapters by experts in chemical and biological oceanography, tropical agronomy and biology, and the atmospheric sciences will address these and other important questions, with the aim of synthesizing the current knowledge of biochemical processes operating within and between the various ecosystems in the Amazon basin.

1. The Relevance of Biogeochemistry to Amazon Development and Conservation,Michael McClain
2. General Characteristic and Variability of Climate in the Amazon Basin and its Links to the Global Climate System,Jose A. Marengo and Carlos A. Nobre
3. The Atmospheric Component of Biogeochemical Cycles in the Amazon Basin,Paulo Artaxo
4. Soil Versus Biological Controls on Nutrient Cycling in Terra Firme Forests,Elvira Cuevas
5. Nutrient Cycling as a Function of Landscape and Biotic Characteristics in the Cerrados of Central Brazil,M. Haridasan
6. Linking Biogeochemical Cycles to Cattle Pasture Management and Sustainability in the Amazon Basin,Moacyr B. Dias-Filho, Eric A. Davidson and Claudio J. Reis de Carvalho
7. Nutrient Considerations in the Use of Silviculture for Land Development and Rehabilitation in the Amazon,Florencia Montagnini