Stark before-and-after pictures reveal dramatic shrinking of major Amazon rivers
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Huge tributaries that feed the mighty Amazon River — the largest on the planet — have plunged to record-low levels, upending lives, stranding boats, and threatening endangered dolphins as drought grips Brazil.

The country is currently enduring its worst drought since records began in 1950, according to Cemaden, the country’s natural disaster monitoring center. It’s Brazil’s second straight year of extreme drought. Nearly 60% of the country is affected, with some cities, including the capital Brasília, enduring more than 140 consecutive days without rain.

In the heart of the Amazon rainforest, the impact on rivers is shocking and experts are sounding the alarm on what this means for the region, a biodiversity hot spot and crucial climate change buffer.

The Rio Negro, one of the Amazon River’s biggest tributaries, is at record lows for this time of year near the city of Manaus in Amazonas state. Its water levels are falling at around 7 inches a day, according to Brazil’s geological service.

The river’s characteristic jet-black waters usually course through its thick maze of channels, but satellite images now show it drastically shrunken with huge swaths of riverbed exposed.