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Amazon rain forests drying out in worst-ever drought

Alex Bellos— © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2004

Water levels in rivers and lakes fall sharply

MANAUS (BRAZIL): Large parts of the Amazon rainforest are at their driest in living memory, a direct consequence, scientists say, of the severe hurricane season off the U.S. Gulf coast.

Rainfall has been significantly below average this year along the Rio Solimoes and the Rio Madeira, two of the major Brazilian tributaries that flow into the Amazon, causing water levels to drop to record lows.

Rivers and lakes are drying up, revealing huge sandbanks and making navigation difficult for boats. Since many towns are accessible only by river, medicine, food and fuel are running out in some communities. ``There is no rain here because the air is descending, which prevents the formation of clouds,'' said Ricardo Dellarosa, of the Amazon Protection Organisation (Sipam) in Manaus.

``The air is descending here because the air is rising very intensely in the north Atlantic, creating storms and hurricanes. What goes up must come down.''

Shift in weather

Gilvan Sampaio of the National Institute of Space Research said the north Atlantic was slightly warmer than usual, which had shifted the tropical weather system further north.

A secondary factor, he added, was that cold fronts that usually came from the south of Brazil at this time of year had not been arriving. ``These cold fronts have been heading straight into the ocean, instead of heading north towards the Amazon.''

Even though the river levels in the south-western Brazilian Amazon are always low at this time of year, the scale is much worse now and has hit historic lows.

``It's the worst it's been in 60 years,'' said Elpidio Gomes da Silva Filho, head of the Administration of West Amazon Waterways.

``The journey along the Madeira should take six days. Now it is taking 15 because only small boats can pass.'' The Association of Municipalities in Amazonas State describes the situation as critical in 10 districts.

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