Oil on beaches is not the only challenge that Brazil’s Northeastern states faces today. Droughts, so historically present in the region, are more intense, as mapped by the Satellite Image Analysis and Processing Laboratory (Lapis) published earlier this week. According to Professor Humberto Barbosa, coordinator of Lapis, the current low humidity picture this month is more severe than the other months.
“In November, practically the entire semiarid region has humidity below 10%, a percentage considered very low. It is normal for this time of year, naturally dry. But in the Northeast, rainfall is below average. Temperatures are also higher, 1 to 2 degrees above average. We have no sign of la Niña or el Niño in the Pacific, so the Atlantic Ocean is influencing the climate. South Atlantic Subtropical High (ASAS) is dominating for below average rainfall. The result is below average rainfall and high temperatures, compared to the historical average ”, analyzes.
The maps, released by state, show that the Northeast of Brazil currently faces a condition of intense drought. In Bahia, for example, 377 municipalities have soil moisture content below 10%, considered very low. The number corresponds to 90% of the municipalities of the state facing drought. In Piauí, 221 municipalities, 98% of the localities of the state, have soils below 10% humidity. In Paraíba, 216 municipalities (97%) are in this situation.