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One of the Amazon River’s main tributaries has dropped to its lowest level ever recorded, Brazil’s geological service said Friday, reflecting a severe drought that has devastated the Amazon rainforest and other parts of the country.
Water level of Brazil’s Negro River has dropped far below normal levels amid unusually intense dry seasonThe Associated Press
ยท Posted: Oct 05, 2024 11:39 AM EDT | Last Updated: October 5
A part of the Negro River is dry at the Brazilian port of Manaus on Friday, amid severe drought. (Edmar Barros/The Associated Press)One of the Amazon River’s main tributaries has dropped to its lowest level ever recorded, Brazil’s geological service said Friday, reflecting a severe drought that has devastated the Amazon rainforest and other parts of the country.
The level of the Negro River at the port of Manaus was at 12.66 metres on Friday, compared to a normal level of about 21 metres. The previous record low level was recorded last year, but toward the end of October.
This is what the Negro River in Manaus, Brazil, looked like on Sept. 25 (top), compared to the same location months earlier, on June 19. (Edmar Barros/The Associated Press)The Negro River’s water level might drop even further in coming weeks based on forecasts for low rainfall in upstream regions, according to the geological service’s predictions. Andre Martinelli, the agency’s hydrology manager in Manaus, was quoted as saying the river was expected to continue receding until the end of the month.
Other rivers are also being impacted by the drought. In this composite photo of Manaus, part of the Sao Raimundo River that connects to the Negro River is seen on Sept. 25 (top) and at the same location on June 20. (Edmar Barros/The Associated Press)Water levels in Brazil’s Amazon always rise and fall with its rainy and dry seasons, but the dry portion of this year has been much worse than usual. All of the major rivers in the Amazon basin are at critical levels, including the Madeira River, the Amazon River’s longest tributary.
The Negro River drains about 10 per cent of the Amazon basin and is the world’s sixth-largest by water volume. Manaus, the biggest city in the rainforest, is where the Negro joins the Amazon River.
Dock worker Francisco Ferreira Pinheiro reads a depth marker in the Negro River at the port in Manaus, Brazil, on Friday. (Edmar Barros/The Associated Press)
