Pantanal and Amazon had an average increase of 1.9°C and 1.2°C, respectively, in 40 years, reports MapBiomas
The increase in temperature in the biomes of the and from It is among the largest in the country in the last 40 years, according to data released by MapBiomas this Wednesday (5). The two regions had an average increase of 1.9°C and 1.2°C, respectively. The information is on the organization’s new platform, MapBiomas Atmosfera, which was launched today.
Using satellite images and data modeling, the platform provides information on variations in temperature and precipitation, between 1985 and 2024, and on atmospheric pollutants, between 2003 and 2024, covering the entire Brazilian territory.
Considering the entire country, the survey shows that the temperature increased at an average rate of 0.29ºC per decade, leading to a total increase of 1.2ºC in the period. However, there are differences between biomes with regard to the evolution of warming.
In the Pantanal, the temperature increase reaches 0.47°C/decade and, in the Cerrado, 0.31°C/decade – both in the most continental part of the country. The Amazon increased by 0.29°C/decade. The coastal biomes showed a milder rate of warming: Caatinga, with + 0.25°C/decade, Atlantic Forest, with + 0.21°C/decade and with + 0.14°C/decade.
“The data is showing that, systematically, the temperature has been increasing throughout Brazil since 1985. Last year was a record, but it is not an isolated year”, explains Luciana Rizzo, professor at the Atmospheric Physics laboratory at the University of São Paulo (USP) and member of MapBiomas Atmosfera.
The record the researcher refers to was calculated based on the temperature recorded in the Amazon and Pantanal in the year 2024. Over 40 years, the average temperature in these two biomes was 25.6º and 26.2º. Last year, these numbers registered an increase of 1.5°C and 1.8°C, respectively. This was the biggest increase recorded in a year, considering the average observed since 1985. According to Luciana, these data corroborate the occurrence of extreme events, such as the fires and the unprecedented drought that hit the Amazon and the Pantanal last year.
According to MapBiomas, the data shows that, in the most continental states, such as Mato Grosso do Sul, Mato Grosso and Piauí, the temperature is also rising more quickly, with rates between 0.34ºC and 0.40ºC per decade. Coastal states tend to have lower warming rates, such as Rio Grande do Norte, Alagoas and Paraíba (0.10ºC to 0.12ºC/decade). In the metropolitan region of São Paulo, the rate of increase is 0.19ºC per decade.
Deforestation and high temperatures
The general coordinator of MapBiomas, Tasso Azevedo, states that the Amazon has lost 52 million hectares of native vegetation since 1985, which is equivalent to a reduction of 13%. “In the same period, the biome had an average temperature increase of 1.2°C. The most recent studies indicate that the loss of forests modifies the exchange of heat and water vapor with the atmosphere, resulting in higher temperatures”, he explains.
A study cited by MapBiomas and published in Nature Geoscience showed that deforestation causes 74% of the reduction in rainfall and 16% of the increase in temperature in the Amazon during the dry season. A drier climate, in turn, favors the occurrence of fires, points out Luciana Rizzo.
“Air pollution in the North was more intense than in heavily urbanized areas of the Southeast in 2024. The low air quality in Amazonian states is directly related to smoke from forest fires, which occur mainly in the biome’s dry season”, says the researcher.
In 2024, it rained 448 millimeters (mm) below the historical average in the Amazon, that is, 20% less. In some parts of the biome, the precipitation anomaly reached a reduction of 1000 mm/year. The reduction in rainfall contributed to the increase in the area burned in the Amazon region, which reached 15.6 million hectares last year.
“The last three IPCC reports [Painel Intergovernamental sobre Mudança do Clima] already pointed out these warming trends and changes in precipitation that we are observing on the platform”, highlights Paulo Artaxo, professor at USP and member of MapBiomas Atmosfera.
Changes in average temperature impact all Brazilian biomes. The Pantanal, where the temperature has risen 1.9°C in the last 40 years, is fed by rain in the Upper Paraguay Basin which, in 2024, recorded rainfall 314 millimeters (mm) below average – there were 205 days without precipitation. “The reduction in precipitation also has important effects, especially in the Amazon and Pantanal”, he adds
Artaxo assesses that the platform can help preserve ecosystems in the country. “It is a new tool that helps Brazil implement public policies based on experimental evidence and shows which regions would be most impacted by climate change and changes in land use”, he highlights.
*With information from Agência Brasil
