Rain Returns To Amazon Basin, But After 2 Years Of Record-Crushing Drought, It May Not Be Nearly Enough

Dark clouds rumble over the tiny Amazon River community of Nossa Senhora do Livramento. After two years of devastating drought, you might think that residents in this parched and isolated town of about 350 families would be elated that it's finally raining. But many just shrug at the brief torrential downpour. Some liken it to that burst of energy a patient can get moments before death.

Such pessimism is understandable given the devastation this and hundreds of other communities have been experiencing throughout the Amazon. Dependent on its vast riverways for nearly everything, millions of residents have been left high and dry. In the more than 100 years since river levels have been monitored, never has the mighty Amazon and the major tributaries of the world’s largest river system recorded such little rainfall. In October, the Rio Negro hit the lowest levels since records were first kept in 1902.

Climate change and increased deforestation are leading contributors to the drought. On top of that, the El Niño weather pattern, which warms the Pacific Ocean waters off South America, was much stronger and longer this year, adding even more heat to the Amazon. "The rate at which the Amazon is drying up is scary and much faster than anyone predicted," says Senna. In some parts of the Amazon, the annual dry season is now lasting one month longer than it did in the 1970s, according to researchers. Senna says it’s too soon to predict whether the upcoming expected La Niña, a wet weather phenomena, will be stronger than normal and enough to refill the rivers.

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The drought has had a punishing impact on food prices too. At Manaus’ giant fish market, monger Dantas Abreu sells one of the Amazon’s largest fishes, the pirarucu. He says his costs have jumped some 25%. He estimates he’s lost about half of his clientele. “I'm 50 years old and I've never seen two droughts like these before,” he says. He blames deforestation. Abreu has two kids and worries about their future with more severe weather. “We are feeling it now," he says, "but our children will feel it much more."

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https://www.npr.org/2024/10/30/nx-s1-5153428/amazon-drought-brazil-river-climate-change