The Amazon basin is a large and remote tropical watershed, mostly covered by dense forest, which makes in situ observations challenging. What observational tools do scientists use to monitor hydrologic processes in the Amazon basin? As a large source of heat in the tropics and strong convective processes, it also significantly impacts global atmospheric circulation. Additionally, Amazon surface waters are a major source and sink of carbon dioxide and the largest natural geographic source of methane in the tropics. For example, the Amazon basin provides moisture to the southern parts of South America. The latter represents about 20 percent of the total amount of global fresh water reaching the ocean each year. The Amazon’s hydrology has far-reaching impacts on regional and global climate. The Amazon Basin is notable for its high rates of precipitation, evaporation, and river discharge.

Why is the Amazon so important for hydrologists to study?

An article recently published in Reviews of Geophysics explores the strengths and limitations of satellite observations of the Amazon basin and makes recommendations for improving these observational systems. While the sheer scale and difficulty of access makes field observations challenging, remote sensing can provide rich insights. It covers roughly six million square kilometers, which is about one third of South America. The Amazon Basin is the largest river basin in the world. Editors’ Vox is a blog from AGU’s Publications Department.

Amazon flesh water