TRANS-CONGO
TRANS-CONGO (Aquatic biogeochemical transformations in Congo River) is a FRS-FNRS funded project (PDR, 2013-2015).
Tropical freshwater ecosystems are important components of global biogeochemical cycles, in particular with regards to carbon dynamics and production of greenhouse gases (GHGs). The Congo River is the second largest river in the world (in terms of freshwater discharge and catchment area) and drains the second largest tropical rain forest in the world. Yet, data on aquatic biogeochemistry are extremely scarce, in shrill contrast with the high number of multidisciplinary studies published on the Amazon basin during the past 2-3 decades.
The main goal of TRANS-CONGO is to describe for the first time the large-scale spatial variations of aquatic biogeochemistry in the Congo River in a quasi-synoptic way, and provide first insights into its seasonality. We will focus on the description of the biogeochemistry of carbon and nutrients and on the production of GHGs from measurements of parameters and processes. We will investigate the spatial gradients on the main channel of the river in the 1740 km stretch that can be sailed (from Kinshasa to Kisangani), the main tributaries, and the flooded forest. We will carry out three cruises (high water, low water and falling limb) to provide insights into seasonality. Water column variables, including GHGs, will be interpreted in the context of watershed characteristics in terms of land use, vegetation type, carbon stocks and stable isotope signatures.
Publications based on TRANS-CONGO are available from ORBI:
Bayon et al. (2018) The silicon isotopic composition of fine-grained river sediments and its relation to climate and lithology
http://hdl.handle.net/2268/222119
Bayon et al. (2019) The roles of climate and human land-use in the late Holocene rainforest crisis of Central Africa
http://hdl.handle.net/2268/228831
Borges et al. (2019) Variations in dissolved greenhouse gases (CO2, CH4, N2O) in the Congo River network overwhelmingly driven by fluvial-wetland connectivity
http://hdl.handle.net/2268/240036
Borges et al. (2015) Globally significant greenhouse-gas emissions from African inland waters
http://hdl.handle.net/2268/184379
Borges et al. (2015) Divergent biophysical controls of aquatic CO2 and CH4 in the World’s two largest rivers
http://hdl.handle.net/2268/187129
Descy et al. (2016) Phytoplankton dynamics in the Congo River
http://hdl.handle.net/2268/206003
Lambert et al. (2016) Shift in the chemical composition of dissolved organic matter in the Congo River network
http://hdl.handle.net/2268/202087
Lambert et al. (2015) Landscape Control on the Spatial and Temporal Variability of Chromophoric Dissolved Organic Matter and Dissolved Organic Carbon in Large African Rivers
http://hdl.handle.net/2268/183606
Marwick et al. (2015) The age of river-transported carbon: A global perspective
http://hdl.handle.net/2268/179345
