Rio Negro falls to record levels amid the Amazon drought
Ongoing drought and reduced rainfall in the Amazon Basin caused the water levels of the Rio Negro River to fall to 12.66 m (41.5 feet) on Friday, October 4, 2024, the lowest on record since 1902 when records began.
Satellite image of Port of Manaus, Brazil on October 3, 2024. Credit: Copernicus EU/Sentinel-2, The Watchers
The Amazon River basin has been experiencing severe drought and wildfires this year. The river basin experienced a record drought in September after several riverbeds fell significantly below their average water levels.
The continuing drought conditions and reduced rainfall caused the Rio Negro River to fall to a depth of 12.66 m (41.5 feet) on Friday, the lowest on record since measurements began in 1902. Researchers in the port city of Manaus, Brazil believe water levels could fall further through October as the dry spell continues.
“This is now the most severe drought in over 120 years of measurement at the Port of Manaus,” said Valmir Mendonca, the port’s head of operations.
The Rio Negro is a major tributary of the Amazon River. It drains more than 10 percent of the water in the Amazon River basin and is the sixth-largest river in the world by average discharge.
Some experts told local media that the Rio Negro could fall below 12 m (39.4 feet) before the end of October. Friday’s measurements surpassed the record low set last year, later in the dry season.
Read more about the Amazon drought here:
References:
1 Water levels in major Amazon tributary tumble to record lows amid drought – Al Jazeera – October 5, 2024
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