Flying rivers of the Amazon disappear in smoke ... and once again it's hard to breathe in Manaus
In Manaus, in the Brazilian Amazon, many people are having trouble breathing. A thick haze is polluting the air, caused by fires in the Amazônia Legal region, which has recorded the highest number of fires in 19 years. The smoke from the fires is engulfing the capital of Amazonas and the air quality is once again classified as "terrible".
For thousands of kilometers, the smoke from the forest continues to spread
The so-called ‘flying rivers’, known for transporting water vapor from the Amazon region to the midwest, southeast and south of Brazil, are huge in volume. They can transport up to 20 billion tons of water vapor per day, more than the Amazon itself! This atmospheric phenomenon is crucial for the country's rainfall. However, the current intense fires in the Amazon, the Pantanal and the Midwest are affecting these vapor channels, so they are currently transporting smoke to other areas as well.
In a recent newsletter from Brazil's climate watchdog Observatório do Clima (OC), Marcelo Seluchi of the National Center for Natural Disasters (CEMADEN) explains that atmospheric rivers have recently turned into smoke corridors: "In northern Brazil, the winds almost always blow from the east, driving the smoke westward. This smoke moves south along the Andes and has reached the southern region of Brazil in the last few days. The traces of this movement are clearly visible on satellite images."
The pollution has now reached São Paulo and other major cities, aggravated by forest fires in the interior of the state of São Paulo. Between August 22 and 24, a total of 2,600 fires were recorded, 81.29% of which occurred in agricultural areas such as sugar cane plantations and pastures, according to an analysis by the Brazilian Institute for Environmental Research (IPAM). Several people have been arrested on suspicion of involvement in starting the fires in the interior of São Paulo.
Without forests, there is no water and no flying rivers. Fires make everything go up in smoke.
Manaus up in smoke
Literature: Observatório do Clima; g1 - O Portal de Notícias da globo
Photos Manaus up in smoke © Raphael Alves
Upcoming: the photobook ‘Riversick’ from photographer Raphael Alves.
‘Riversick’ by Raphael Alves is a photographic essay that shows how people and nature share space in and around Manaus. Before that, it's a reverie on the relationship between author and place: it's about how the author relates to the different possible (and impossible) Manaus, not the one he inhabits, but the one that lives in him.
The title of the series is a play on words. The idea of homesickness, ‘homesick’, the seasickness caused by the sea, ‘seasick’, and ‘river’, due to the geographical location of Manaus, on the banks of two of the largest rivers in the world: Solimões and Negro.
Pre-sale shipping is free and the photo book costs R$72 (72 Brazilian Real); after the pre-sale, shipping is a flat rate of R$15 and the photo book costs R$83 (83 Brazilian Real).
Get yours through this link: https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/MUQCHBE5P8ZRY
The photobooks will be shipped in the second half of September.
Or you can pick up your photobook in person during the Photothings Festival on September 14th and 15th at the Monte Azul Cultural Center - Avenida Tomás de Sousa nº552. Jardim Monte Azul, São Paulo - SP. From 2 pm to 7 pm.
Now listening: Deep Purple - Smoke On the Water
