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The influence of the coastal plain on the downstream material fluxes from a small coastal mountainous river basin
Author(s) -
Molisani Mauricio Mussi,
Machado Anandra,
Farias Roberto Nascimento,
Souza Michael Douglas Peçanha,
Isacksson Paula Sigilião,
Assis Esteves Francisco
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
river research and applications
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.679
H-Index - 94
eISSN - 1535-1467
pISSN - 1535-1459
DOI - 10.1002/rra.3747
Subject(s) - coastal plain , estuary , hydrology (agriculture) , environmental science , sediment , structural basin , discharge , drainage basin , oceanography , sediment transport , geology , geomorphology , paleontology , geotechnical engineering , cartography , geography
Abstract Small mountainous coastal basins display steeper gradients, suggesting intensified river transport. However, there is little information about downstream trends in rivers with low discharge and material fluxes across coastal plains and its influence on land‐sea material transport. This study examined 2 years of river discharge, suspended sediment and nutrient concentrations, fluxes and yields from upstream to the upper estuary of a typical South‐east Atlantic Basin. This study provides data about the material retention capacity of the coastal plain. The results indicated that the coastal plain did not affect nutrient concentrations, but reduced turbidity, inducing chlorophyll a and consequently primary productivity in the lower river basin and upper estuary. The coastal plain attenuated the increasing downstream material fluxes, but also curbed suspended sediment and TN fluxes, across the lower river/upper estuary. In contrast, TP and PO 4 3− fluxes increased sharply across the coastal plain. This was influenced by natural and anthropogenic P inputs from soils and run‐off to the river channel. These exceeded the retention capacity of the coastal plain and result in a high export efficiency of this nutrient to the sea.