Sea level at the mouth of the river with the largest flow on Earth has risen 12.4 cm in three decades, eroding riverside territories and reshaping the local economy, according to an unpublished analysis. Intense rains and droughts in the Amazon are altering the interaction between the river’s mouth and the Atlantic Ocean, driving higher tides and coastal salinization. The effects of these changes are already visible in the availability of the species most commonly caught along the Amazon coast. They are also closely tied to deforestation on the continent: by 2050, a 45% reduction in forest cover could weaken the force with which the Amazon’s plume reaches the Atlantic.
Posted inopinion / Institutional
InfoAmazonia: 14 Years of Networked Journalism
From a geojournalism project launched at Rio+20 to a cross-border network of Amazonian journalists, we celebrate 14 years by reaffirming our commitment to journalism of the Amazon, for the Amazon, and from the Amazon.
Posted inBrazil
A Whiff of Smoke in the Air. Just a Taste of a Sad Future for the Amazon
On Thursday, October 27, there was a scent of smoke in the air. On the 28th, a bluish haze thickened, and by late afternoon it had turned gray and heavy. The reddish sunset left no doubt: We were enveloped in pure wildfire smoke. Our eyes began to sting, our noses ran. Our clothes and hair […]
Posted inBrazil
Indigenous communities under siege in Rondon’s land
The invasions of indigenous territories in Rondonia are not something new. But data on episodes of violence in the countryside, such as assassinations of leaders and threats to communities, reveal the resurgence of this fight.