The hydrologic regime, with high and low water levels make the low land very succeptible to ecological changes, in both soils and lakes. During high level periods, low land is “fertilized” by sediment deposition, making these areas the most fertile areas of the Amazonian region. This work is an evalution of soil and sediment characteristics of two low land lakes: Passarinho and Gravetão. They are situated near Manaus, Brazil. Parameters studied were: texture, and water retention. The results show that soils and sediments have high water retention properties, with maximum values around 45 mm/10cm, considering the available water between -10 and -1500 kPa. Silt is the main component in most samples, varying from 17 to 71%.
Low land; soil; sediment; texture; soil water retention curve