Drought in the Amazon basin November 2023
GDO analytical report
A severe drought is affecting the western Amazon basin and most of northern South America, due to dry conditions that have persisted since July 2023. The spatio-temporal evolution of the drought indicates an increase in extent and severity.
A sequence of extreme heatwaves is exacerbating the impact of the lack of precipitation, and the average temperature is abnormally high for the austral spring.
Soil moisture has been severely affected, with negative anomalies over large parts of the region.
Impacts on hydrology are huge: river flows are extremely low, with many at the lowest value for the season.
The wildfire risk is increasing, and it is high mainly in central-eastern Brazil.
The drought is affecting navigation, with impacts also on basic food and water supply. River flow forecasts suggest that these impacts are likely to worsen in the coming months.
Seasonal forecasts point to warmer and drier than average conditions in the entire Amazon region, which are typical for a strong to very strong El Niño event.
TORETI Andrea;
BAVERA Davide;
ACOSTA NAVARRO Juan;
ARIAS-MUÑOZ Carolina;
BARBOSA Paulo;
BRANCO Alfredo;
CUNHA Ana Paula;
DE JAGER Alfred;
FIORAVANTI Guido;
GRIMALDI Stefania;
HRAST ESSENFELDER Arthur;
LIBERTÀ Giorgio;
MAETENS Willem;
MAGNI Diego;
MARENGO Jose;
MASANTE Dario;
MAZZESCHI Marco;
MCCORMICK Niall;
MERONI Michele;
OOM Duarte;
REMBOLD Felix;
SALAMON Peter;
SAN-MIGUEL Jesus;
2023-12-19
Publications Office of the European Union
JRC136439
978-92-68-10332-6 (online),
1831-9424 (online),
EUR 31777 EN,
OP KJ-NA-31-777-EN-N (online),
https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC136439,
10.2760/756827 (online),
Additional supporting files
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