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Widespread and Exceptional Reduction in River Water Levels Across the Amazon Basin during the 2023 Extreme Drought Revealed by Satellite Altimetry and SWOT
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  • Daniel Medeiros Moreira,
  • Fabrice Papa,
  • Alice Fassoni-Andrade,
  • Ayan Santos Fleischmann,
  • Sly Wongchuig,
  • Rodrigo Cauduro Dias de Paiva,
  • Adrien Paris,
  • Frédéric Frappart,
  • Jefferson Santos Melo,
  • Jean-François Crétaux,
  • Andre Luis Martinelli Real dos Santos,
  • Pierre-André Garambois,
  • Benjamin Kitambo,
  • Stéphane Calmant
Daniel Medeiros Moreira
Laboratoire Geosciences Environnement Toulouse

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Fabrice Papa
Institut de Recherche pour le Développement
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Alice Fassoni-Andrade
University of Brasília
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Ayan Santos Fleischmann
Instituto de Desenvolvimento Sustentavel Mamiraua
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Sly Wongchuig
Laboratoire d'Etudes en Géophysique et Océanographie Spatiales (LEGOS), Université de Toulouse
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Rodrigo Cauduro Dias de Paiva
Institute of Hydraulic Research, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul
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Adrien Paris
Hydro Matters
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Frédéric Frappart
ISPA
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Jefferson Santos Melo
CPRM
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Jean-François Crétaux
LEGOS/CNES
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Andre Luis Martinelli Real dos Santos
Serviço Geológico do Brasil
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Pierre-André Garambois
INRAE, Aix Marseille University, RECOVER
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Benjamin Kitambo
Université de Lubumbashi
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Stéphane Calmant
Hydro Matters
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Abstract

In late 2023, the Amazon River Basin experienced its most extreme drought, putting its population and ecosystem at major risks. Gauges that were still functioning measured the lowest river water levels (RWL) on record. Here, satellite observations, including Surface Water Ocean Topography (SWOT), reveal the spread and timing of extremely low RWL across the entire river system. Nadir altimeter observations show that the 2023 minimum RWL in Central Amazon were more than 3 m below their annual average, representing two to three times its mean variability. Additionally, SWOT enables the first basin-scale characterization of the reduction in RWL with a spatial resolution of 200 m and how it propagates with time. Large-scale evaluation with gauges suggest that SWOT outperforms classical altimetry in estimating RWL, even if observed biases need further investigations. SWOT offers a new opportunity to understand hydroclimatic extremes and their broad impacts on the environment of the Amazon.
16 Aug 2024Submitted to ESS Open Archive
19 Aug 2024Published in ESS Open Archive