Article: Ocean Levels and the Amazon
January 7, 2016: Effect of short term seven year Amazon droughts on Atlantic Ocean Sea Level’s and high Tides along the Southeastern US Seaboard
Abstract: Several climate models predict severe rainfall reductions over the Amazon Basin over the next century. Analyzing the current six year reduction of rainfall and drought in the Eastern and Southern Amazon, is the best available means to investigate the effects on the Atlantic Ocean and Tide levels, due to lower rainfall conditions. The hypothesis only focuses on regional data from the eastern Amazon in order to determine the decrease in moisture entering the Amazon from the Atlantic. Further research is necessary to have a full comprehensive review of all regions that border the Amazon Basin, which are the first points of entry for moisture into the Amazon, to determine how much less water has entered and how much has left due to evaportransporation. In addition further data is needed to determine exact flow rates over the last four years to determine how much volume below the normal 209,000 m3/s has entered the Atlantic due to less rainfall. Based on the initial hypothesis and limited sampling data, the effects on the Atlantic Ocean due to short term drought is 1.82 cm to 10.7 cm in ocean rise with a factor of +/-10%.