Amazon floodplain; droughts; remote sensing; synthetic aperture radar; % reductions; Amazon basin; Dry seasons; El Nino event; Low water; Open water; Radar data; Remote-sensing; Sentinel-1; Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment; Environmental Science (all); Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
Abstract :
[en] In 2023, an intense drought impacted the Amazon basin triggered by climate change and a strong El Niño event, with the Negro River reaching its lowest water level in 120 years. However, the spatiotemporal open water extent (OWE) during this drought remains unclear. This study comprehensively evaluates OWE variability in the central Amazon using Sentinel-1 synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data since 2017. Monthly OWE masks were generated through an empirical threshold classification with accuracy >95%. Overall, the central Amazon experienced a reduction of ∼8% in OWE in the 2023 dry season months (November and December) when compared to monthly-average. However, reductions of up to 80% in OWE were observed in several specific lakes. Our analysis underscores the unprecedented severity of the 2023/2024 drought on rivers and floodplains. Utilizing SAR remote sensing technologies, this study emphasizes the urgent need for proactive conservation measures to safeguard the Amazon’s ecological integrity amid escalating environmental challenges. Monthly water masks from January/2017 to September/2024 are available here: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.12751783.
Disciplines :
Environmental sciences & ecology
Author, co-author :
Maciel, Daniel A ; Earth Observation and Geoinformatics Division, National Institute for Space Research (INPE), São José dos Campos, Brazil ; Instrumentation Laboratory for Aquatic Systems (LabISA), Earth Observation Coordination of National Institute for Space Research (INPE), São José dos Campos, Brazil
Lousada, Fellipe; Earth Observation and Geoinformatics Division, National Institute for Space Research (INPE), São José dos Campos, Brazil ; Instrumentation Laboratory for Aquatic Systems (LabISA), Earth Observation Coordination of National Institute for Space Research (INPE), São José dos Campos, Brazil ; Technological University of Uruguay (UTEC), Durazno, Uruguay
Fassoni-Andrade, Alice ; Instituto de Geociências, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, Brazil
Barbosa, Claudio Clemente Faria ; Earth Observation and Geoinformatics Division, National Institute for Space Research (INPE), São José dos Campos, Brazil ; Instrumentation Laboratory for Aquatic Systems (LabISA), Earth Observation Coordination of National Institute for Space Research (INPE), São José dos Campos, Brazil
Paule-Bonnet, Marie ; ESPACE-DEV, Univ Montpellier, IRD, Univ Antilles, Univ Guyane, Univ Réunion, Montpellier, France
Novo, Evlyn Márcia Leão de Moraes ; Earth Observation and Geoinformatics Division, National Institute for Space Research (INPE), São José dos Campos, Brazil ; Instrumentation Laboratory for Aquatic Systems (LabISA), Earth Observation Coordination of National Institute for Space Research (INPE), São José dos Campos, Brazil
Language :
English
Title :
Sentinel-1 data reveals unprecedented reduction of open water extent due to 2023-2024 drought in the central Amazon basin
Publication date :
2024
Journal title :
Environmental Research Letters
eISSN :
1748-9326
Publisher :
Institute of Physics Publishing (IOP)
Volume :
19
Issue :
12
Pages :
124034
Peer reviewed :
Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi
Funders :
CAPES - Coordenação de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior FAPESP - Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo
Funding text :
This research is funded through the 2017-2018 Belmont Forum and BiodivERsA joint call for research proposals, under the BiodivScen ERANet COFUND programme, and with the funding organizations French National Research Agency (ANR), S\u00E3o Paulo Research Foundation and National Science Foundation (NSF), the Research Council of Norway and the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). This study was also funded by S\u00E3o Paulo Research Foundation (Process: 2023/13904-7 and 2018/12083-1) and in part by the Coordena\u00E7\u00E3o Nacional de Aperfei\u00E7oamento de Pessoal de N\u00EDvel Superior (CAPES)\u2014Finance Code 001. Alice Fassoni-Andrade is partially supported by the NASA-CNES SWOT Science Team project SAMBA. Authors thank the anonymous reviewers for they careful evaluation of the previous version of the manuscript.
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