Apports En Carbone Et Azote Dans Le Fleuve Niger À Tondibia (Niamey) : Résultats De Deux (2) Ans D’observations

The Niger River is the third more important river in Africa and drains a surface of about 2,120,000 km². It includes six hydrographic regions representing West African ecosystems. Despite the importance of this river at the regional and continental scale, little information has been collected on its biogeochemical characteristics and particularly on its role in the transportation and the transformation of matter (carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus). This study present the results of two years investigation, April 2011 to March 2013 in the middle Niger, upstream Niamey (Niger) city [2.01° E, 13.57° N], according to a bi-weekly observation frequency. The variables measured are temperature, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, pH, suspended matter, dissolved inorganic carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) and particulars organics C and N as well as isotopic composition of these elements. Daily discharges of the river come from hydrologic station measurement of the Niger authority Basin (NBA) at Niamey city. Hydrologic situation was strongly contrasted between the 2 years of survey. The mean discharge of the first year was only 673 m3 s-1 (one of the weakest discharge recorded on the river Niger at Niamey since 1940), while the mean discharge of the second year was 1,096 m3 s-1. Our results show that suspended matter, particular organic carbon, dissolved organic carbon and dissolved inorganic carbon are transported mainly during the local flood, induced by precipitations in July and August. The second flood (Guinean flood) which occurred, during November to January, is characterized by low temperatures and clean waters

Shift in the chemical composition of dissolved organic matter in the Congo River network

The processing of terrestrially derived dissolved organic matter (DOM) during downstream transport in fluvial networks is poorly understood. Here, we report a dataset of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations and DOM composition (stable carbon isotope ratios, absorption and fluorescence properties) acquired along a 1700 km transect in the middle reach of the Congo River Basin. Samples were collected in the mainstem and its tributaries during high water (HW) and falling water (FW) periods. DOC concentrations and DOM composition along the mainstem were found to differ between the two periods, because of a reduced lateral mixing between the central water masses of the Congo River and DOM-rich waters from tributaries and also likely because of a greater photodegradation during FW as water residence time (WRT) increased. Although the Cuvette Centrale wetland (one of the world’s largest flooded forest) continuously releases highly aromatic DOM in streams and rivers of the Congo Basin, the downstream transport of DOM was found to result in an along stream gradient from aromatic to aliphatic compounds. The characterization of DOM through parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC) suggests that this transition results from (1) the losses of aromatic compounds by photodegradation and (2) the production of aliphatic compounds by biological reworking of terrestrial DOM. Finally, this study highlights the critical importance of the river-floodplain connectivity in tropical rivers in controlling DOM biogeochemistry at large spatial scale and suggests that the degree of DOM processing during downstream transport is a function of landscape characteristics and WRTAFRIVA

The effects of Triclosan on the metabolism of developing Sheepshead minnow (Cyprinodon variegatus) larvae

The aquatic environment represents the final sink for many chemicals, including bactericidal agents. Among them Triclosan (TCS) has been shown to affect the thyroid system of teleost. Thyroid hormones are involved in the control of metabolism, so changes in hormone levels induced by triclosan may affect respiratory rates and antioxidant stress in exposed fish. Couples of three females and two males were placed in breeding chambers designed for this experiment. Eggs were collected and maintained in seawater. Embryos were selected under a dissection microscope, randomly assigned to each of five treatment groups: Control, DMSO control, 20 μg/L TCS, 50 μg/L TCS and 100 μg/L TCS and placed in incubation dishes (50 per dish) at 25°C. On day 6, embryos hatched and larvae were transferred to 1L dishes. The larvae were fed on artemias and on flaked fish food till day 15 and 30 post hatching when the fish were analyzed. Respiratory rate measurements were carried out by respirometry and assays of antioxidant enzymes, Glutathionreductase (GR), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) were conducted to determine the presence of oxidative stress. Respirometry showed that TCS exposed fish exhibited decreased the metabolism at 15 dph, whereas no differences in respiration rate could be observed between control and exposed larvae at 30 dph. At 15 dph no difference was observed for any of the antioxidant enzymes, whereas at 30 dph a sharp increase in the activity of GR was observed between the control and TCS exposed fish. The activity of GST and Gpx remained stable. Thyroid hormones are major factors controlling the metabolic rate related to respiration and oxidative stress. TCS reduced the metabolism at 15 dph that corresponds to the moment where larvae to juvenile transition of Sheepshead minnows occur. Previous experiments showed that TCS induces an increase in thyroid hormone concentrations and hyperthyroidism induces oxidative stress. So our observed increase of antioxidant protection mechanisms could be a way to compensate oxidative stress. On the other hand, the changes in GR activity observed at 30 dph, may also be related to the reduced metabolism at 15 dph

Carbon Cycling of Lake Kivu (East Africa): Net Autotrophy in the Epilimnion and Emission of CO2 to the Atmosphere Sustained by Geogenic Inputs

We report organic and inorganic carbon distributions and fluxes in a large (>2000 km2) oligotrophic, tropical lake (Lake Kivu, East Africa), acquired during four field surveys, that captured the seasonal variations (March 2007–mid rainy season, September 2007–late dry season, June 2008–early dry season, and April 2009–late rainy season). The partial pressure of CO2 (pCO2) in surface waters of the main basin of Lake Kivu showed modest spatial (coefficient of variation between 3% and 6%), and seasonal variations with an amplitude of 163 ppm (between 579±23 ppm on average in March 2007 and 742±28 ppm on average in September 2007). The most prominent spatial feature of the pCO2 distribution was the very high pCO2 values in Kabuno Bay (a small sub-basin with little connection to the main lake) ranging between 11213 ppm and 14213 ppm (between 18 and 26 times higher than in the main basin). Surface waters of the main basin of Lake Kivu were a net source of CO2 to the atmosphere at an average rate of 10.8 mmol m−2 d−1, which is lower than the global average reported for freshwater, saline, and volcanic lakes. In Kabuno Bay, the CO2 emission to the atmosphere was on average 500.7 mmol m−2 d−1 (~46 times higher than in the main basin). Based on whole-lake mass balance of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) bulk concentrations and of its stable carbon isotope composition, we show that the epilimnion of Lake Kivu was net autotrophic. This is due to the modest river inputs of organic carbon owing to the small ratio of catchment area to lake surface area (2.15). The carbon budget implies that the CO2 emission to the atmosphere must be sustained by DIC inputs of geogenic origin from deep geothermal springs.AFRIVA

Contrasting biogeochemical characteristics of the Oubangui River and tributaries (Congo River basin)

The Oubangui is a major tributary of the Congo River. We describe the biogeochemistry of contrasting tributaries within its central catchment, with watershed vegetation ranging from wooded savannahs to humid rainforest. Compared to a 2-year monitoring record on the mainstem Oubangui, these tributaries show a wide range of biogeochemical signatures, from highly diluted blackwaters (low turbidity, pH, conductivity, and total alkalinity) in rainforests to those more typical for savannah systems. Spectral analyses of chromophoric dissolved organic matter showed wide temporal variations in the Oubangui compared to spatio-temporal variations in the tributaries, and confirm that different pools of dissolved organic carbon are mobilized during different hydrological stages. d13C of dissolved inorganic carbon ranged between -28.1 per mil and -25.8 per mil, and was strongly correlated to both partial pressure of CO2 and to the estimated contribution of carbonate weathering to total alkalinity, suggesting an important control of the weathering regime on CO2 fluxes. All tributaries were oversaturated in dissolved greenhouse gases (CH4, N2O, CO2), with highest levels in rivers draining rainforest. The high diversity observed underscores the importance of sampling that covers the variability in subcatchment characteristics, to improve our understanding of biogeochemical cycling in the Congo Basin.AFRIVAL: ‘‘African river basins: catchment-scale carbon fluxes and transformations’