Solid Earth

Seasonal fluctuations in the mass of the Amazon River system and Earth's elastic response

  1. Michael Bevis1,
  2. Douglas Alsdorf2,
  3. Eric Kendrick1,
  4. Luiz Paulo Fortes3,
  5. Bruce Forsberg4,
  6. Robert Smalley Jr.5,
  7. Janet Becker6

Article first published online: 24 AUG 2005

DOI: 10.1029/2005GL023491

Issue

Geophysical Research Letters

Geophysical Research Letters

Additional Information

How to Cite

Bevis, M., D. Alsdorf, E. Kendrick, L. P. Fortes, B. Forsberg, R. Smalley Jr., and J. Becker (2005), Seasonal fluctuations in the mass of the Amazon River system and Earth's elastic response, Geophys. Res. Lett., 32, L16308, doi:10.1029/2005GL023491.

Author Information

  1. 1

    Geodetic Science, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA

  2. 2

    Geological Sciences, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA

  3. 3

    Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

  4. 4

    Department of Ecology, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazonas, Manaus, Brazil

  5. 5

    Center for Earthquake Research and Information, University of Memphis, Memphis, Tennessee, USA

  6. 6

    Hawaii Institute for Geophysics and Planetology, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 24 AUG 2005
  2. Article first published online: 24 AUG 2005
  3. Manuscript Accepted: 22 JUL 2005
  4. Manuscript Revised: 19 JUL 2005
  5. Manuscript Received: 27 MAY 2005

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[1] A GPS station in Manaus, near the center of the Amazon basin, manifests an annual cycle of vertical displacement with a peak-to-peak amplitude of 50–75 mm. This is by far the largest crustal oscillation observed to date, and nearly 2–3 times larger than the amplitude predicted for this region. Vertical ground displacement is strongly anti-correlated with the local stage height of the Amazon river, with no detectable time lag between the two time series. This suggests that we are observing, for the first time, a purely elastic response to changes in the weight of a flowing river system. We use a simple hydrological model to relate stage height to the regional pattern of flooding, and argue that the elastic oscillations observed in Manaus are dominated by changes in water loading developed within ∼200 km of the GPS station.

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