Brazil’s water surface area shrinks below historical average in 2023
The surface area of water throughout Brazil dropped below the historical average in 2023, a MapBiomas Água survey released this week shows. Last year, water covered 18.3 million hectares, or two percent of the national territory, down 1.5 percent from the historical average, first calculated in 1985.Water losses were reported in all months of 2023 compared to 2022, including in the rainy season. In 2022, the water surface reached 18.8 million hectares. The figures refer to 1985 through 2023. The survey says that the biomes have been suffering from the loss of water surface since 2000, with the 2010s being the most critical decade.In 2023, natural water bodies accounted for 77 percent of Brazil’s water surface, down 30.8 percent—6.3 million hectares—compared to 1985. The other 23 percen...