News

Floods in south Brazil have displaced 600,000 – here’s why this region is likely to see ever more extreme rain in future

A mighty river is flowing out of the Amazon rainforest, and it’s not the one you’re thinking of. In the first kilometre above the forest canopy, a “flying river” is transporting moisture evaporated from Amazonian trees southwards along the Andes mountains towards Rio Grande do Sul, the southernmost state in Brazil. Almost the entire state - an area larger than the UK - is currently affected by unprecedented floods. The flying river has acted like a firehose, fuelling five months of rainfall in just two weeks, further enhanced by a strong jetstream located in just the wrong position above the region. In an article for The Conversation, Dr Marcia Zilli, Dr Neil Hart, and colleague Dr Caio Coelho, explore why - based on future projections of climate change - this situation will likely get worse as the temperature rises.

Image: cabuscaa / Adobe Stock
IN THE MEDIA

Kelsey Monteith wins the Alfred Steers Dissertation Prize

2023 undergraduate Kelsey Monteith has won the Alfred Steers Dissertation Prize for her dissertation titled, 'Time is not our master. I will not bow to time on this fair.' Examining practices of cultural resistance in the Gypsy-Traveller community. The prize is awarded once per year by the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) for the best undergraduate dissertation in a UK geography department.

Kelsey Monteith
NEWS

New study on Amazonia's fire crises urges action ahead of the next burning season

In response to the escalating fire crises in the Amazon, a timely study has revealed alarming shortcomings in the emergency fire bans implemented by the Brazilian Government. Initially seen as a promising solution in 2019, these bans have consistently fallen short in subsequent years, revealing a pressing need for strategies that address the underlying causes of each type of fire.

Image: Manoela Machado
IN THE MEDIA