A recent study of more than 100 years of river level records from the Amazon shows a significant increase in frequency and severity of floods.
Scientists’ analysis of the potential causes could contribute to more accurate flood prediction for the Amazon Basin. Water levels of the Amazon River have been recorded daily in Port of Manaus, Brazil, since the beginning of the last century. Researchers used 113 years of water level records and found extreme floods and droughts have become more frequent over the last two to three decades.
Their findings show that in the first part of the 20th century, severe floods with water levels exceeding 29 metres – the benchmark for a state of emergency in Manaus – occurred roughly every 20 years. Now, extreme floods occur on average every four years.
Study lead author, Dr Jonathan Barichivich, from Universidad Austral de Chile – and a former Research Fellow at the University of Leeds, said: “Increases of severe droughts in the Amazon have received a lot of attention from researchers. However, what really stands out from this long-term river record is the increase in the frequency and severity of the floods. With a few minor exceptions, there have been extreme floods in the Amazon basin every year from 2009 to 2015.”
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