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Water levels in many of the rivers in the Amazon basin have reached their lowest on record amid a continuing drought, the Brazilian Geological Service (SGB) says.<\/p>\n
The Madeira river, a major tributary to the Amazon, had fallen to just 48cm in the city of Porto Velho on Tuesday, down from an average of 3.32m for this day, official data showed<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Solim\u00f5es river has also fallen to its lowest level on record in Tabatinga, on Brazil’s border with Colombia. <\/p>\n Brazil’s natural disaster monitoring agency Cemaden has described the current drought as the “most intense and widespread” it has ever recorded. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n It is particularly concerning because it has worsened relatively early in the Amazon\u2019s dry season, which typically runs from June to November.<\/p>\n That suggests the situation in the Amazon may not significantly improve for some months in a region which is critical in the fight against climate change, as well as being a rich source of biodiversity.<\/p>\n The links between drought and global warming are complicated, but climate change can play a role in worsening dry conditions in two main ways.<\/p>\n Firstly, the Amazon basin is typically receiving less rainfall than it used to between June and November as climate patterns change.<\/p>\n Secondly, hotter temperatures increase the evaporation from plants and soils, so they lose more water.<\/p>\n