São Paulo University Research Identifies Cerrado and Pantanal as Most Vulnerable to Water Surface Reduction
A recent study published by the MapBiomas platform reports that the water surface in Brazil was once again below average in 2023, with emphasis on the states of Mato Grosso do Sul, Mato Grosso, Roraima and Rio Grande do Sul. The data also report that, in this century, practically every year has shown a reduction in the water surface in the country.
According to Professor Pedro Luiz Côrtes, head of the School of Communications and Arts (ECA) and the Institute of Energy and Environment (IEE) at the University of São Paulo, the data is worrying, as it indicates a constant loss of surface water. This is due to the country’s neglect of springs and riparian forests, which harms the soil and the percolation of rain into the earth.
“When rainwater does not penetrate the soil, it runs straight into bodies of water and drains towards the sea, meaning there is no significant accumulation of water. This causes great harm to the flow of several rivers. One situation that is looming is a very severe drought, precisely because the water table is often at a very low level and is not capable of maintaining this flow of water during periods of prolonged drought,” he comments.
In addition to climate change and general deforestation, the expert highlights the deforestation of the Amazon, since the rains generated in the region supply, through evapotranspiration, several regions of Brazil. “These rains originating in the Amazon have been losing intensity, that is, the winds continue to blow, however, generating a smaller volume of rain”, he concludes.
Cerrado and Pantanal
In addition to the data relating to the Cerrado, with significant loss of surface water in several states (with the exception of Minas Gerais and Goiás, which saw an unnatural increase in water levels due to the creation of new reservoirs, whether for generating electricity or irrigating crops), Côrtes also highlights data from the Pantanal region. In Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul, which include the biome, there was a decrease in the water circuit, largely due to the decrease in Amazonian rainfall in the region.
Côrtes explains that, in the Pantanal, in addition to this reduction in rainfall and, consequently, in the flooded area, the time that water remains has been reduced, a characteristic explained by the excessive fire in the region. “We have the overlapping of fires, which compromises the structure of the soil, and this excessive temperature helps to reduce the amount of water available in the water table. In other words, when new rains occur, it will migrate to the deepest parts of the soil, hydrating this subsoil instead of fulfilling its natural function, which was to flood certain areas,” he concludes.