Amazon Rainforest Water Level Falls to 121-Year Low

Facts

• On Monday, the river port in Manaus — a city in Brazil's Amazon rainforest where the Negro River meets the Amazon River — recorded a water level of 13.59 meters, the lowest observed level since 1902.¹
• In July this year, the Negro River — also known as the Black River — was flowing at 28 meters.²
• The Amazon rainforest is facing a severe drought amid the lowest levels of recorded rainfall since 1980, which have cut off food, medicine, and water supplies to villages in the Amazon basin.³
• The unprecedented drought, which has affected over 500K inhabitants as well as the region's native wildlife, has prompted Brazil's northwestern Amazonas to declare an environmental emergency.⁴
• This recent drought, along with the wider effects of climate change, has also made the region more fire-prone. This month, the rainforest has already registered over 2.7K wildfires — the highest number recorded in October since 1998.⁵
• Last week, uncontrolled wildfires forced state authorities to postpone the city's annual marathon, while classes were canceled at some major universities.⁶

Sources: ¹NBC, ²Telesur English, ³Forbes, ⁴FT, ⁵The Messenger and ⁶Grist.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by Science News Explores. Human activities and climate change have intensified Amazon's dry season, which has been observed to be around one month longer than in previous decades. The ecological jewel that mixes several ecosystems and accounts for more than half of tropical forests in the world is in big trouble. Time is running out to save the Amazon from turning into a savanna.
• Narrative B, as provided by FT. It's easy to dismiss any extreme weather event as a consequence of climate change, but in reality, they're usually influenced by a myriad of factors that have nothing to do with global warming. More research is needed before establishing any direct causal link between the two.

Predictions