Madeira

da Costa Dória C.R.; Molina-Carpio J.; Torrente-Vilara G.; Andriolo A.; de Aguiar Cavalcante M.M.; Gracía-Dávila C.; Ortega H.; van Damme P.A. · Rivers of South America (2025) · DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-823429-7.00016-1

Resumen

Rising in the Andes, the Madeira River drains the southwestern part of the Amazon basin. With a drainage basin of 1,370,000km2 and an elevation range of 20-6450ma.s.l., the Madeira is the second largest tributary of the Amazon and provides half of its sediment load (426Mt/yr). As a result of its physiography, location, and Andean origin, the basin exhibits amazing climatic, hydrochemical, and biological diversities. Thirteen climate zones (from polar to tropical rainforest, precipitation from 300 to 6000mm/year) and 10 terrestrial ecoregions are found within its boundaries. Nearly 1400 fish species, 135 endemic (the highest of the Amazon basin), have been recorded. The basin was an early center of plant domestication by the first native Americans. Two hydroelectric dams in the main river course in Brazil had huge ecological impacts, which could worsen if other dams are built. The basin is also impacted by deforestation (mostly for cultivation of commodities) and mining.

Instituciones: Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos