Severe droughts reduce river navigability and isolate communities in the Brazilian Amazon

The Amazon basin is experiencing severe droughts that are expected to worsen with climate change. Riverine communities are especially vulnerable to these extreme events. This study investigates the experiences of Brazilian Amazonian communities during droughts from 2000–2020, assessing the distribution of settlements at risk of prolonged isolation during extreme low-water periods and the impacts reported in digital news outlets. Using historical time series of river levels from 90 gauges, we quantify how long droughts lasted in regions with reported impacts. The droughts in 2005, 2010, and 2016 were the most severe, adding over a month of low-water conditions. These events routinely disrupt inland water transport and isolate local populations, limiting access to essential goods (food, fuel, medicine) and basic services (healthcare, education). The findings underscore the need for Amazon countries to develop long-term strategies for mitigation, adaptation, and disaster response.

Letícia Santos de Lima, Francisco Eustaquio Oliveira e Silva, Paula Rosana Dorio Anastácio, Marina Marcela de Paula Kolanski, Ana Carolina Pires Pereira, Marianne Stéfany Resende Menezes, Evandro Landulfo Teixeira Paradela Cunha, Marcia Nunes Macedo