Weather Event May Be Cause of Brazil's Pantanal Fires
2020-09-17
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1Since the middle of July, a fire has been burning in the wetlands of west-central Brazil.
2It has left a burned area that is larger than New York City.
3The wetlands, known as the Pantanal, are smaller and less-known than the Amazon jungle.
4But the area attracts many different animals because of where it is in South America.
5It is between the rainforest, Brazil's grasslands and Paraguay's dry forests.
6The fires are now threatening one of the most diverse environments on the planet, biologists say.
7The Pantanal is about 150,000 square kilometers in size.
8The wetland is home to 1,200 vertebrate animal species.
9Thirty-six of those species are close to dying off completely.
10Fire is not new there, but the current fires are historic.
11The biggest ones in the Pantanal this year are four times the size of the largest fire in Brazil's Amazon rainforest, NASA satellites show.
12A record 23,490 square kilometers have burned through September 6.
13A study by the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro said that represents nearly 16 percent of the Brazilian Pantanal.
14The Pantanal is known for being wet, not dry.
15The world's largest floodplain normally fills with water during the rainy season, which lasts from November to April.
16This year, the floods never came.
17The Paraguay River, which crosses the Pantanal, fell to its lowest level since 1973.
18That estimate comes from Julia Arieira, a climate researcher at Brazil's Federal University of Espirito Santo.
19Scientists blame the dry weather on warming in the Atlantic Ocean.
20That warming takes moisture away from South America and sends it north where it can form hurricanes.
21Doug Morton is a scientist with the U.S. space agency NASA.
22He said this process is caused by changes in ocean temperatures.
23These changes are known as the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation.
24This weather event is to the Atlantic Ocean what El Niño is to the Pacific Ocean.
25Unlike El Niño, however, which usually happens every two to seven years, the oscillation changes between hot and cold every 30 to 40 years.
26Changing ocean temperatures are "a likely driver of the dry conditions we've seen so far this year in the Pantanal," said NASA's Morton.
27Morton is concerned global warming could change the Oscillation and leave it permanently warm - possibly leading to more fires.
28Even if that does not happen, scientists fear global temperature increases could make large fires more common.
29Philip Fearnside is an ecologist at Brazil's National Institute of Amazonian Research.
30He said destruction of the Amazon rainforest is worsening dry conditions in the Pantanal over the long-term.
31He said jungle trees take rain and push the moisture back into the air.
32This moisture is then carried by winds to nearby areas.
33Amazon deforestation - the act of cutting down forests - has increased 34.5 percent in the 12 months through July, compared to the same period a year earlier.
34That increase comes from early estimates released by the government space research agency Inpe.
35Mato Grosso state firefighting Lieutenant Colonel Jean Oliveira said no humans have died in the Pantanal fires.
36The victims, he said, are wildlife - reptiles, mammals, and more.
37Oliveira has been leading the government response to the fires.
38Biologist Rogério Rossi at the Federal University of Mato Grosso estimated that thousands of animals have died.
39Local guide Eduarda Fernandes is working with the rescue team in the area.
40She picked up a snake that had been burned in the fire.
41It had bitten itself.
42A biologist said the snake likely had an uncontrolled reaction as it tried to escape the heat.
43Asked what she thought happened, Fernandes responded, "Pain. Despair."
44I'm John Russell.
1Since the middle of July, a fire has been burning in the wetlands of west-central Brazil. It has left a burned area that is larger than New York City. 2The wetlands, known as the Pantanal, are smaller and less-known than the Amazon jungle. But the area attracts many different animals because of where it is in South America. It is between the rainforest, Brazil's grasslands and Paraguay's dry forests. 3The fires are now threatening one of the most diverse environments on the planet, biologists say. The Pantanal is about 150,000 square kilometers in size. The wetland is home to 1,200 vertebrate animal species. Thirty-six of those species are close to dying off completely. 4Fire is not new there, but the current fires are historic. The biggest ones in the Pantanal this year are four times the size of the largest fire in Brazil's Amazon rainforest, NASA satellites show. 5A record 23,490 square kilometers have burned through September 6. A study by the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro said that represents nearly 16 percent of the Brazilian Pantanal. 6Warming in the Atlantic Ocean 7The Pantanal is known for being wet, not dry. The world's largest floodplain normally fills with water during the rainy season, which lasts from November to April. 8This year, the floods never came. The Paraguay River, which crosses the Pantanal, fell to its lowest level since 1973. That estimate comes from Julia Arieira, a climate researcher at Brazil's Federal University of Espirito Santo. 9Scientists blame the dry weather on warming in the Atlantic Ocean. That warming takes moisture away from South America and sends it north where it can form hurricanes. 10Doug Morton is a scientist with the U.S. space agency NASA. He said this process is caused by changes in ocean temperatures. These changes are known as the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation. 11This weather event is to the Atlantic Ocean what El Niño is to the Pacific Ocean. Unlike El Niño, however, which usually happens every two to seven years, the oscillation changes between hot and cold every 30 to 40 years. 12Changing ocean temperatures are "a likely driver of the dry conditions we've seen so far this year in the Pantanal," said NASA's Morton. 13Morton is concerned global warming could change the Oscillation and leave it permanently warm - possibly leading to more fires. 14Even if that does not happen, scientists fear global temperature increases could make large fires more common. 15Philip Fearnside is an ecologist at Brazil's National Institute of Amazonian Research. He said destruction of the Amazon rainforest is worsening dry conditions in the Pantanal over the long-term. He said jungle trees take rain and push the moisture back into the air. This moisture is then carried by winds to nearby areas. 16Amazon deforestation - the act of cutting down forests - has increased 34.5 percent in the 12 months through July, compared to the same period a year earlier. That increase comes from early estimates released by the government space research agency Inpe. 17Humans and animals 18Mato Grosso state firefighting Lieutenant Colonel Jean Oliveira said no humans have died in the Pantanal fires. The victims, he said, are wildlife - reptiles, mammals, and more. 19Oliveira has been leading the government response to the fires. 20Biologist Rogério Rossi at the Federal University of Mato Grosso estimated that thousands of animals have died. 21Local guide Eduarda Fernandes is working with the rescue team in the area. She picked up a snake that had been burned in the fire. It had bitten itself. A biologist said the snake likely had an uncontrolled reaction as it tried to escape the heat. 22Asked what she thought happened, Fernandes responded, "Pain. Despair." 23I'm John Russell. 24Jake Spring reported on this story for Reuters. John Russell adapted it for Learning English. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor. 25_____________________________________________________________ 26Words in This Story 27diverse - adj. made up of people or things that are different from each other 28vertebrate - adj. biology: describes an animal that has a backbone 29species - n. biology : a group of animals or plants that are similar and can produce young animals or plants : a group of related animals or plants that is smaller than a genus 30floodplain - n. an area of low, flat land along a stream or river that may flood; an area of land built up from soil left by floods 31moisture - n. a small amount of a liquid (such as water) that makes something wet or moist 32We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.