This lecture examines observed and projected changes in precipitation and river discharge across the Amazon region, according to different warming scenarios. It highlights key data sets and models used to analyze long-term changes in precipitation, as well as global climatic circulations and their influence on the Amazon. Although precipitation patterns are not the same across the region, with rainfall increasing in the northern Amazon and decreasing in the southern Amazon over the last four decades, both trends have significant impacts on biodiversity, local communities, and the the overall health of the Amazon River and its tributaries. This is especially true as the dry season of the southern Amazon gets longer and the occurrence of megadroughts and extreme floods become more frequent across the region

Lecture source language: English

Available subtitles & translations: Portuguese and Spanish