the page you were looking for could not be found The most comprehensive sci-tech news coverage on the web Amazon at record low — communities isolated Rhett A. Butler The Amazon River in Peru and parts of Brazil is at its lowest level in 30 years of record keeping While variable water levels are characteristic of the Amazon river ecosystem the increasingly extreme fluctuations are of great concern Low water levels are wreaking havoc on the shipping industry in the region a city in the heart of the Peruvian Amazon which is only accessible by plane or boat ships and barges are having difficulty navigating the river Local officials in Peru are blaming deforestation of the upper reaches of the Amazon in the Andes for the fall in river levels although it is likely that larger forces are at least equally important Warmer ocean surface temperatures in the Pacific and low sunspot activity is also affecting weather in the region while warming in the north Atlantic — which has helped trigger an unusually strong and destructive hurricane season — may be preventing the formation of rain clouds over the Amazon Basin Forest clearing impacts rainfall by disrupting the local water cycle forests add to local humidity through transpiration — the process by which plants release water through their leaves Moisture is transpired and evaporated into the atmosphere where it contributes to the formation of rain clouds Scientists estimate that 50-80% of the moisture in the central and western Amazon remains in the ecosystem water cycle less moisture is evapotranspired into the atmosphere resulting in the formation of fewer rainclouds and less rainfall There is also concern that drought and low water conditions will only worsen in coming years as more forest is cleared and glaciers in the Andes continue to retreat which are the source for as much as 50% of the water in the upper Amazon According to a 1997 study by the Peruvian government the country’s glaciers have shrunk by more than 20% in the past 30 years the National Commission on Climate Change in Lima projects that Peru will lose all its glaciers below 18,000 feet in elevation in the next decade and possibly all its glaciers within the next 40 years could be devestating to the region’s climate Related articles from Reuters and the Associated Press MANAQUIRI – The worst drought in more than 40 years is damaging the world’s biggest rainforest sickening river dwellers with tainted drinking water and killing fish by the millions as streams dry up “What’s awful for us is that all these fish have died and when the water returns there will be barely any more,” Donisvaldo Mendonca da Silva scores of piranhas shook in spasms in two inches of water — what was left of the once flowing Parana de Manaquiri river Thousands of rotting fish lined the its dry banks has declared 16 municipalities in crisis as the two-month-long drought strands river dwellers who cannot find food or sell crops Some scientists blame higher ocean temperatures stemming from global warming which have also been linked to a recent string of unusually deadly hurricanes in the United States and Central America may have caused air above the Amazon to descend and prevented cloud formations and rainfall “If the warming of the north Atlantic is the smoking gun it really shows how the world is changing,” said Dan Nepstadt an ecologist from the Massachusetts-based Woods Hole Research Institute funded by the US government and private grants “The Amazon is a canary in a coal mine for the earth As we enter a warming trend we are in uncertain territory,” he said Deforestation may also have contributed to the drought because cutting down trees cuts moisture in the air Other scientists say severe droughts were normal and occurred in cycles before global warming started dozens of boats lay stranded in the cracked dirt of the riverbank after the water level receded Pontoons of floating docks sit exposed on dry land People drive cars where only months ago they swam An hour from where it joins the Rio Negro to form the Amazon River the Rio Solimoes is so low that kilometers (miles) of exposed riverbank have turned into dunes as winds whip up thick sandstorms is so dry that cargo ships carrying diesel from Manaus cannot reach the capital of Rondonia state without scraping the bottom fuel used to run power plants has to be hauled in by truck thousands of kilometers (miles) from southern Brazil Dry winds and low rainfall have left the rainforest more susceptible to fires that farmers routinely start to clear their pastures rains arrive often enough to put out blazes that escape from farms and spread to the forest the forest is catching fire and staying aflame some 100,000 hectares (250,000 acres) of forest have burned since the drought started and thick black smoke has on occasion shut down airports “It’s illegal to burn but everyone around here does it I do it to get rid of insects and cobras and to create fresh grass for my cows,” a man who would only identify himself as Calixto said while using bundles of green leaves to smother flames and control fires near a highway The drought has also upset daily life in communities scattered throughout the basin’s labyrinth of waterways “We closed 40 schools and canceled the school year because there’s a lack of food transport and potable water,” said Gilberto Barbosa secretary of public administration in Manaquiri People whose wells have dried up risk drinking river water contaminated by sewage and dead animals Sinking water levels have severed connections in the lattice of creeks lakes and rivers that make up the Amazons motorboat transportation network Many people in Manaquiri’s 25 riverine communities are now forced to walk kilometers (miles) to buy rice or medicines one of the biggest killers in the developing world Many fear stagnant water will breed malaria the state government has flown five tons of basic medicines out to distant villages It will be two more months before the river fills again during the rainy season residents fear polluted water will float to the top “I’ve never seen anything like this,” said Manuel Tavares Silva Worst drought it decades drying key rivers Four Brazilian cities in the Amazon jungle state of Amazonas have been declared disaster areas as the worst drought in 60 years dries up rivers that thousands of families depend on to receive food and medicine the state government will be able to receive federal aid Officials are mainly concerned with the dwindling supplies of medicine in these cities Roberto Rocha of the Amazonas state Civil Defense Department said by phone cutting off some 2,000 families from regular supplies of medicine and food a coordinator of the state’s relief efforts He said workers have been sent to dig wells in Manaquiri about 1,645 miles (2,650 kilometers) northwest of Sao Paulo “The little water that exists in the rivers is polluted,” he added Belota also fears a yellow fever epidemic in the region because vaccines are not reaching the region on a regular basis Another 17 cities and towns declared a state of alert and the federal government may be asked to provide help by furnishing boats and helicopters Many cities in the vast Amazon region have little or no road access and rely on rivers for transportation But a shortage of rain during several months caused the level of the Amazon River to drop to 51.8 feet (15.8 meters) on Monday far below the average low of 58.1 feet (17.6 meters) said the Brazilian government’s Geological Service the Geological Service’s Jayme Azevedo da Silva said The level of the Amazon rises and falls regularly but this year the dry season has been more severe than usual The fires that farmers and ranchers use to clear the forest have helped raise the temperature in the western Amazon helping to quickly evaporate the little rain that fell this year Rainfall in July was 1.21 inches (30.8 millimeters) 65 percent less than the average of 3.44 inches (87.5 millimeters) In June and August rainfall was about two-thirds the normal amount Water levels are expected to rise in early November at the start of the rainy season Extreme drought drops Amazon river to record low levels Brazil (Reuters) – Drought in the Amazon rain forest normally one of the world’s wettest regions shows the weather cycle is swinging to one extreme rather than signaling climate change Water levels on two major Amazon tributaries — Madeira and Solimoes — dropped to record- and 38-year lows respectively notably in the remote western state of Acre But weather forecasters added that elsewhere in continental sized Brazil seasonal spring rains had started in the south and were spreading northwards through Brazil’s major coffee belt and gradually into soybean areas in the center-west “The Amazon drought shows extreme climate variability not climatic change,” said Jose Marengo researcher at the Weather Forecasting and Climatic Studies Center (CPTEC) part of the National Institute of Space Research (INPE) Marengo said that normal rains were forecast for the south Amazon — the states of Acre southern part of Para state and northern part of Mato Grosso state “Rain is forecast in Acre in the next couple of weeks,” he said adding that the region is normally dry between June and September and wettest in December and January But we are a bit worried that there could be less rain than usual at the mouth of the Amazon noting that extreme climatic events were occurring more frequently “We could be seeing the first symptoms of changing cycles.” Meteorologists discounted a link between unusually severe hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico and drought in the Amazon Dry weather in the Amazon is linked to warmer ocean surface temperatures in the Pacific and to low sunspot activity head of applied meteorology at the government’s National Institute of Meteorology in Brasilia “It’s a phenomenal drought and could be linked to a warmer Pacific and little sunspot activity,” Rebello said noting extremely low water levels in the Amazon But he added that the weather cycle would reach a low next year and then start to moderate said that the Pacific should start to enter a cooler period next Brazilian summer and this could result in a weak La Nina weather pattern “It won’t affect summer rains and it’s still very early to talk about next winter,” he said adding that La Nina doesn’t necessarily signal a cold winter and extra risk of frost damage to Brazil’s coffee crop Brazil was in a transitional period between the dry May/August winter and rainy spring which started in south Brazil in September He said that this year weather conditions are in general seasonally normal in Brazil’s main farming areas except that drought in the Amazon could affect Mato Grosso “Rains in the south are replenishing a water deficit and providing reserves for summer soy and corn harvests “Last September was hot and dry and people were worried about drought damage to crop flowering.” Tropical deforestation affects rainfall in North America – 20-September-2005 NASA research has found that deforestation in the tropics affects rainfall patterns in North America Deforestation in the Amazon region of South America influences rainfall from Mexico to Texas and in the Gulf of Mexico deforesting lands in Central Africa affects precipitation in the upper and lower U.S Midwest while deforestation in Southeast Asia was found to alter rainfall in China and the Balkan Peninsula NASA Satellite Data Used to Assess Amazon Deforestation – 15-September-2005 a vast tropical forest stretching across South America is so large that is virtually impossible to study the evolving landscapes within the basin without the use of satellites Scientists have used satellite imagery of the Amazon for more than 30 years to seek answers about this diverse ecosystem and the patterns and processes of land cover change This technology continues to advance and a new study shows that NASA satellite images can allow scientists to more quickly and accurately assess deforestation in the Amazon ARTICLE CONTENT COPYRIGHT the Reuters THIS CONTENT IS INTENDED 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Mongabay’s Special Issue goes beyond the region’s world-renowned safaris to examine how rural communities and governments are reckoning with conservation’s colonial origins, and trying to forge a path forward […] we can't find the page that you are looking for Don't let that stop you from visiting some of our other great related content protected by reCAPTCHA.css-trhdh3::after{background-color:#fa9000;}EXPLORE MOREblinking-dotLive updatesLive updates, ‘Blackmail tool’: Hamas rejects Israeli plan to bypass Gaza aid agenciesUN and humanitarian aid groups say Israel proposed ‘dangerous’ ration ‘scheme’ after nine-week siege Francis-era reforms that saw a diverse group of cardinals join the mix make his successor nearly impossible to call The attack comes as Moscow prepares to welcome foreign leaders from China and Brazil Reports say Israel now eyeing occupation of entire enclave control of aid and possible expulsion of Palestinians the California federal penitentiary has been shut for more than six decades Attack claimed by Houthis temporarily halts air traffic at Israel’s busiest airport and triggers air raid sirens Hopes that last year’s vote would lead to their release crushed since April 22 killings and crackdown by Indian forces A study confirms cosmic origin of gold and heavy elements and they were created earlier than we thought US president makes claim after Mexican leader says her country’s sovereignty ‘not for sale.’ AVBOB celebrates a milestone by rewarding its members on a large scale BRASILIA - Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon fell by half last year as President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's government bolstered environmental policing to crack down on surging destruction the news was far less bright from the crucial Cerrado savanna below the rainforest where clear-cutting hit a new annual record last year according to the national space research agency's DETER surveillance program Satellite monitoring detected 5,152 square kilometers of forest cover destroyed in the Brazilian Amazon last year That still represented a loss 29 times the size of Washington DC in Brazil's share of the world's biggest rainforest whose carbon-absorbing trees play a vital role in curbing climate change a biodiversity hotspot whose ecosystems are intricately linked with the Amazon's lost over 7,800 square kilometers of native vegetation last year the highest since monitoring began in 2018 "We saw some important victories on the environment in 2023 The significant reduction in deforestation in the Amazon was a highlight," said Mariana Napolitano of environmental group WWF-Brasil "But unfortunately we aren't seeing the same trend in the Cerrado.. That is harming the biome and the extremely important ecosystem services it provides And we saw the impact at the end of the year Environmental groups have accused the Lula government of turning a blind eye to the destruction of the lesser-known Cerrado to appease the powerful agribusiness lobby The figures for both the Amazon and Cerrado were updated through December 29 the total area razed in the two regions was 12,980 square kilometers in 2023 After beating far-right incumbent Jair Bolsonaro in a divisive election in 2022 veteran leftist Lula returned to office on January 1 vowing "Brazil is back" as a partner in the fight against climate change Agribusiness ally Bolsonaro (2019-2022) had drawn international criticism for presiding over a 75-percent increase in average annual deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon versus the previous decade Experts say the destruction in both the Amazon and Cerrado is driven mainly by farming and cattle ranching in Brazil the world's top exporter of soybeans and beef.