Amazon River basin experiencing worst drought on record
The Amazon River basin is experiencing its worst drought on record, with several riverbeds that were once waterways now drying up.
Image credit: Copernicus EU/Sentinel-2, The Watchers. Acquired on September 14, 2024
The Amazon River basin is experiencing its worst drought on record, with several riverbeds that were once waterways now drying up.
The Madeira River in Porto Velho City fell to 0.48 m (1.57 feet) on Tuesday at 12:15 local time, significantly lower than the average of 3.32 m (10.9 feet) for this time of year. The water level dropped by 0.31 m (1.02 feet) in the past seven days.
Several other rivers have also fallen significantly compared to their daily averages.
The Solimões, one of the main tributaries of the Amazon River, has fallen to its lowest level on record in Tabatinga. A branch of the river has dried up completely farther downstream in Tefé. In Tefé, the river level is around 2.92 m (9.58 feet), significantly lower than last year’s levels for the same period. Lake Tefé has also dried up, endangering the habitat of freshwater dolphins.
In Manaus, the largest city in the Amazon, where the Solimões meets the Rio Negro to form the main Amazon River, the Rio Negro’s water level is nearing the record low set in October of last year.
In addition, 2024 has been the worst year for fires in the Amazon since 2005. Compared to last year, the forest has seen a 104 % increase in fire hotspots between January and August. By the end of August 2024, around 65 000 fire hotspots had been recorded, the highest number since 2005.
In August alone, there was a 120 % increase in fire hotspots, with over 38 000 recorded, compared to 17 373 last year. Fires have burned approximately 5.4 million ha (13.4 million acres) of land in the Amazon this year, with more than 2 million ha (5 million acres) burned in August alone.
References:
1 BOLETIM DE MONITORAMENTO HIDROLÓGICO DA BACIA DO RIO MADEIRA – SGB – September 17, 2024
2 Worst drought on record lowers Amazon rivers to all-time lows – Reuters – September 18, 2024
3 Amazon Rainforest Fires – Rainforest Foundation US – Accessed on September 20, 2024
I am an Assistant Editor and Severe Weather & Science Journalist at The Watchers, specializing in real-time severe weather coverage, geophysical event reporting, and research-driven scientific analysis. You can reach me at rishav(at)watchers(.)news.
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