Flood Update: 7 Mar 2021

[Our internet access has been very limited since we've minimized expenses, so here are updates from the past few months]

Update: 7 Mar 2021

The water level at the Tapiche Jungle Reserve keeps rising throughout this year's flood season and on 4th March has passed last year's highest water level. While the jungle did flood in 2020, the flood came very irregularly; instead of constantly rising throughout the flood season, the water suddenly dropped about four meters in February 2020, almost back down to the level of dry season, before rising again in March. This means that the highest level of last year's flood was reached later than in past years and also stayed about half a meter lower than the peak level in 2019.

Although the water is at a good level now and will still rise more, this year's flood has also arrived later than usual, and the rains we are experiencing now in March are typical for November or December, when the water should have first begun to rise. The water should be at a constant high level (at about the level it is now) in January and February and then rise about half a meter more in March before gradually starting to recede throughout April and May.

A good flood is important for the jungle and its inhabitants, from species that rely on the flood for reproduction such as several species of aquatic birds and fish as well as the dispersion of seeds throughout the forest. It's unclear what the long-term effects of these irregular floods will be, but we've experienced a fair number of abnormal flooding and weather within the past seven years or so. Most of the trees fruit during the flood season and herbivorous fish feed on the fruits that fall onto the flooded ground. The flood flushes the aquatic plants from the lagoons into the jungle, freeing up the surface of the water to increase gas exchange between water and air and also bringing organic materials and nutrients to the jungle soil. Another important point is that when the water level is high, the creeks that connect the river to the lagoons flow from the river into the lagoons (opposed to the current running from the lagoons to the river during low water season), which helps repopulate and refresh the lagoons with plant and animal life. Most of the fish do not reproduce in the river but in the flooded forest and the lagoons. This repopulation of the lagoons is important for the entire ecosystem since it also provides food for animals at the top of the lagoon food chain, like caimans.

Throughout this week, we have had strong rainfalls almost on a daily basis, so we are hopeful that this year's flood - although delayed - will be high and the water will keep on rising. We expect the water level to keep going up and to pass the peak level of 2019 soon. We'll keep you updated on our social media channels (FB and IG @TapicheJungle) and here on our blog.

To learn more about how the weather controls the distribution of freshwater on our planet and the consequences of the changes of the weather, check out the third episode "Weather" of the new BBC series "A Perfect Planet." Our very own Tapiche fire ants have a featured segment! Have a look at our previous postings to learn where to watch this episode.