Overview
- Satellite, field and modeling analyses show Lake Tefé reached about 41°C in October 2023, with heat permeating the full 2‑meter water column and leaving no cool refuges for aquatic life.
- In five of ten central Amazon lakes analyzed, daytime temperatures exceeded 37°C, while surface areas shrank dramatically, including roughly 75% loss at Lake Tefé and about 90–92% at Lake Badajós.
- Researchers identified four reinforcing drivers of the extreme heating: very low water levels, clear skies with intense sun, weak winds limiting evaporative cooling, and high turbidity that trapped solar energy.
- Long-term remote-sensing records indicate Amazon lakes have warmed rapidly over recent decades, at roughly 0.3–0.8°C per decade, outpacing many global averages.
- The study links the thermal extremes to mass die-offs of river dolphins and fish and reports severe disruptions for riverine communities, with the publication coinciding with COP30 and calls for sustained monitoring and community-inclusive responses.