2023-10-20 17:14:00
The extreme drought in the western Amazon has led to historical minimum levels in points of the Negro, Solimões, Amazonas and Madeira rivers, according to data collected or produced by the Port of Manaus, the Geological Service of Brazil (SGB) and the Civil Defense of Amazon.
In Manaus, the Negro River reached a negative record last Monday (16), when the record of the Port of Manaus marked 13.59 meters, the previous minimum being 13.63 meters, recorded on October 24, 2010.
The river continued to decline throughout the week and reached the level of 13.29 meters this Thursday (19). In 120 years of measurements, indicators have never been recorded as low as those since Monday.
Historical records have been broken in other rivers in the Amazon basin. This Thursday (19), the SGB reported that the measurement stations recorded historic minimums in Manacapuru (AM), on the lower Solimões River, and in Itacoatiara (AM), on the Amazon River.
The severe drought is the result of a combination of phenomena, such as El Niño, which involves above-average warming in the Pacific Ocean near the equator, and warming of the North Tropical Atlantic.
The anomalies that El Niño causes in the Amazon, with less rain, will continue in the region. There has already been below-average rainfall in periods that already have little rain. Now, this will be repeated during the rainy period in the Amazon.
Translated by AZAHARA MARTÍN ORTEGA
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