16 October 2023
Cargo ships are being stranded at the port of Manaus in the Amazon Rivers as water levels reach a 120-year low of just 44.5 feet.
The previous all-time low was set in 1902, with a measurement of 44.7 feet.
Pitiful rainfall, high temperatures, and devastating fires (burning 3.6 million acres of forest in just the first half of 2023) are causing conditions preventing ships from delivering supplies to remote villages. The drought may also have caused the demise of 120 rare dolphins in the Amazon River.
While the Amazon River—along with the rainforest and seasonal flood plains—can ebb and flow up to 39 feet annually due to tropical rains, rainfall totals over the past six months are below average by approximately 16 inches, and Manaus only experienced one day of rain in August.
The stranded ships are needed to deliver water, food, and fuel supplies to river communities. It is estimated the drought is affecting 481,000 people in the Amazonas state, and the continuing El Nino climate pattern is not projected to ease up until after winter.
See the Ships
