Dutra et al. (2026) Western amazon 2020 extreme heatwave

⚠️ Warning: This summary was generated from the abstract only, as the full text was not available.

Identification

• Journal: Regional Environmental Change
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-09-16
• Authors: Débora Joana Dutra, Rafaela Quintella Veiga, Rafael Cesario de Abreu, Wan Ting Katty Huang, Janaína Cassiano dos Santos, Gisleine Cunha‐Zeri, Queren-Hapuque Rodrigues de Luna Francisco, Ylza Marluce Silva, Alex Ovando, Larissa Antunes da Silva, Renata Pacheco Quevedo, Luiz Felipe Goulart Fiscina, Marcos Sousa, Bianca Nunes Calado, Christopher Cunningham, Iara Stéfani Carneiro da Silva, Pedro Noronha, Edvan Ferreira de Meneses, Paulo Henrique Alves Leão, Fraser C. Lott, Sihan Li, Rafael Alexandre Ferreira Luiz, Sarah Sparrow, Liana O. Anderson
• DOI: 10.1007/s10113-026-02681-0

Research Groups

• Amazonas State University (UEA)
• National Institute for Space Research (INPE)
• Federal University of Acre (UFAC)

Short Summary

This study investigated the 2020 extreme climate event in southwestern Amazonia, finding that anthropogenic climate change significantly increased the likelihood of heat extremes and contributed to wildfire activity and smoke exposure.

Objective

• Investigate the causes and consequences of the 2020 extreme climate event in southwestern Amazonia using an integrated framework combining meteorological observations, reanalysis products, burned area data, climate attribution methods, and health records.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Regional (southwestern Amazonia)
• Temporal Scale: September to November 2020

Methodology and Data

• Models used: HadGEM3-A attribution experiments and CMIP6 simulations
• Data sources: Meteorological observations, reanalysis products (e.g., ERA5), burned area data from satellite imagery, climate attribution methods, health records from Acre's public health system

Main Results

• Persistent drought conditions and Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) anomalies exceeding the 95th percentile during September to November 2020.
• Strong anthropogenic contribution to the event, with probability ratio (PR) estimates ranging from approximately 129 to values exceeding 1000 across climate-model ensembles and Fraction of Attributable Risk (FAR) values approaching unity.
• Wildfire activity concentrated in non-forest land cover classes, accounting for approximately 80% of total burned area.

Contributions

• This study provides new insights into the causes and consequences of extreme climate events in southwestern Amazonia, highlighting the importance of integrated adaptation strategies combining climate-risk management, wildfire prevention, air-quality monitoring, and public health preparedness.
• The results demonstrate that anthropogenic climate change substantially increased the likelihood of heat extremes and contributed to environmental conditions favorable to wildfire activity and smoke exposure.

Funding

• This research was supported by the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq), grant number 305.135/2019-5, and the Amazonas State University (UEA) Research Support Foundation (FAPEAM), grant number APQ-0011/2020.

Citation

@article{Dutra2026Western,
  author = {Dutra, Débora Joana and Veiga, Rafaela Quintella and Abreu, Rafael Cesario de and Huang, Wan Ting Katty and Santos, Janaína Cassiano dos and Cunha‐Zeri, Gisleine and Francisco, Queren-Hapuque Rodrigues de Luna and Silva, Ylza Marluce and Ovando, Alex and Silva, Larissa Antunes da and Quevedo, Renata Pacheco and Fiscina, Luiz Felipe Goulart and Sousa, Marcos and Calado, Bianca Nunes and Cunningham, Christopher and Silva, Iara Stéfani Carneiro da and Noronha, Pedro and Meneses, Edvan Ferreira de and Leão, Paulo Henrique Alves and Lott, Fraser C. and Li, Sihan and Luiz, Rafael Alexandre Ferreira and Sparrow, Sarah and Anderson, Liana O.},
  title = {Western amazon 2020 extreme heatwave},
  journal = {Regional Environmental Change},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1007/s10113-026-02681-0},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1007/s10113-026-02681-0}
}