"Amazonian lakes are being transformed into simmering basins hotter than spa baths as severe heatwaves and drought grip the region, research shows. The temperature of one lake exceeded 40C (104F) as water levels plummeted under intense sunlight and cloudless skies. The extreme heat triggered mass die-offs among endangered Amazon river dolphins and fish, which cannot survive in such high temperatures."
"The shallow waters of Lake Tefe, which were only two metres deep, reached 41C warmer than an average spa bath. We couldn't even put our fingers in the water. It was really hot, not just in the top bit, but right down to the bottom, said the lead researcher, Ayan Fleischmann, from the Mamiraua Institute for Sustainable Development. You put your finger in and remove it instantaneously, it's unbearable."
Central Amazon lakes experienced record low water levels and extreme heating during the 2023 drought and another severe drought in late 2024. Lake Tefe, a shallow basin about two metres deep, reached temperatures near 40–41C, far above its average peak of about 30C. Half of ten lakes monitored recorded daytime water temperatures above 37C. Warming rates for Amazon lakes range from 0.3 to 0.8C per decade over roughly 30 years, exceeding global averages, while lake areas are concurrently shrinking. Extremely high shallow-water temperatures caused mass die-offs, including up to 200 river dolphins over a six-week period.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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