Dear MEL Topic Readers,
A floating village is stranded on a dry lakebed as extreme drought
grips the Amazon
Manaus is a Brazilian city that is located in the center of the world's
largest rainforest where the Solimões and Negro rivers meet to form the Amazon
River. Due to the city's proximity to the equator, Manaus has a humid tropical
rainforest climate. Even during its relatively dry months between July and September,
there usually are six or seven rainy days with an average precipitation of 7
centimeters each month. However, the entire region has suffered from severe heat
and drought this year, drying up rivers and lakes. In fact, the water temperatures
in Lake Tefé reached nearly 40 degrees Celsius, about a hot tub temperature,
and killed over 100 river dolphins. And drought in the region is so severe that
boats, houseboats, and floating buildings are stranded on nearby lakes. Many residents
are left with no choice but to dig the riverbed or lakebed to get water. The
drought extends across the region and over 300,000 people have been affected. It
is thought that the extreme heat and drought are partly caused by El Niño,
which has just started this year and will go on for the next few years, and also
global warming.
Part of the Amazon River is drying and ice in Antarctica, Greenland,
and the Arctic region is melting. What will happen the El Niño year 2?
Read the article and learn about this year’s
severe drought in the Amazon River.
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