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The droughts of 1997 and 2005 in Amazonia: floodplain hydrology and its potential ecological and human impacts

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  • Javier Tomasella
  • Patrícia Pinho
  • Laura Borma
  • José Marengo
  • Carlos Nobre
  • Olga Bittencourt
  • Maria Prado
  • Daniel Rodriguez
  • Luz Cuartas

Abstract

It is well known that most of the severe droughts in Amazonia, such as that of 1997, are El Niño-related. However, in 2005, the Amazon was affected by a severe drought that was not El Niño-related, as most of the rainfall anomalies that have happened in southwestern Amazonia are driven by sea surface temperature anomalies in the tropical North Atlantic. Earlier studies have analyzed both droughts in terms of their meteorological causes and impacts in terra firme (non-flooded) forests. This study compares the hydrological effects of both droughts on the Amazonian floodplain and discusses their potential ecological and human impacts based on an extensive literature review. The results revealed that the effects of the 2005 drought were exacerbated because rainfall was lower and evaporation rates were higher at the peak of the dry season compared to the 1997 drought. This induced a more acute depletion of water levels in floodplain lakes and was most likely associated with higher fish mortality rates. Based on the fact that the stem growth of many floodplain species is related to the length of the non-flooded period, it is hypothesized that the 1997 drought had more positive effects on floodplain forest growth than the 2005 drought. The fishing community of Silves in central Amazonia considered both droughts to have been equally severe. However, the 2005 drought was widely broadcasted by the press; therefore, the governmental mitigation efforts were more comprehensive. It is suggested that the availability of new communication technology and greater public awareness regarding environmental issues, combined with the new legal framework for assessing the severity of calamities in Brazil, are among the primary factors that explain the difference in societal response between the two droughts. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2013

Suggested Citation

  • Javier Tomasella & Patrícia Pinho & Laura Borma & José Marengo & Carlos Nobre & Olga Bittencourt & Maria Prado & Daniel Rodriguez & Luz Cuartas, 2013. "The droughts of 1997 and 2005 in Amazonia: floodplain hydrology and its potential ecological and human impacts," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 116(3), pages 723-746, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:climat:v:116:y:2013:i:3:p:723-746
    DOI: 10.1007/s10584-012-0508-3
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. A. Pfaff & K. Broad & M. Glantz, 1999. "Who benefits from climate forecasts?," Nature, Nature, vol. 397(6721), pages 645-646, February.
    2. Peter M. Cox & Phil P. Harris & Chris Huntingford & Richard A. Betts & Matthew Collins & Chris D. Jones & Tim E. Jupp & José A. Marengo & Carlos A. Nobre, 2008. "Increasing risk of Amazonian drought due to decreasing aerosol pollution," Nature, Nature, vol. 453(7192), pages 212-215, May.
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    1. Helvécio de Oliveira Filho & José Francisco de Oliveira-Júnior & Marcos Vinícius da Silva & Alexandre Maniçoba da Rosa Ferraz Jardim & Munawar Shah & João Paulo Assis Gobo & Claudio José Cavalcante Bl, 2022. "Dynamics of Fire Foci in the Amazon Rainforest and Their Consequences on Environmental Degradation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(15), pages 1-21, August.
    2. Dafne E. Lastra Landa & Claudia V. Grados Bueno, 2022. "“Climate change might have caused our small harvest”: indigenous vulnerability, livelihoods, and environmental changes in lowland and high jungle indigenous communities in Peru," Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, Springer;Association of Environmental Studies and Sciences, vol. 12(2), pages 216-231, June.
    3. Mya Sherman & James Ford & Alejandro Llanos-Cuentas & María José Valdivia, 2016. "Food system vulnerability amidst the extreme 2010–2011 flooding in the Peruvian Amazon: a case study from the Ucayali region," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 8(3), pages 551-570, June.
    4. Júlia Alves Menezes & Ulisses Confalonieri & Ana Paula Madureira & Isabela de Brito Duval & Rhavena Barbosa dos Santos & Carina Margonari, 2018. "Mapping human vulnerability to climate change in the Brazilian Amazon: The construction of a municipal vulnerability index," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(2), pages 1-30, February.

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