NASA Warns of Escalating Amazon Wildfires Driven by El Niño, Projecting Worsening Conditions
Satellite observations from NASA's Fire Information for Resource Management System (FIRMS), Global Fire Emissions Database (GFED), and NASA Worldview indicate a significant increase in fires and smoke emissions across the central and eastern Amazon since September 2026. This surge extends from the forests around Manaus and Santarém eastward towards the mouth of the Amazon River. Douglas Morton, an Earth system scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, describes this as a 'cascade' of tropical wildfires, intensified by the current El Niño climate pattern. The drought conditions, exacerbated by El Niño, have made vast areas of the rainforest highly vulnerable to fire. Manaus, the capital of Brazil's Amazonas state, experienced dangerously polluted air on October 12, 2026, with fine particulate matter exceeding 135 micrograms per cubic meter, leading to school closures and suspension of public events. Scientists anticipate the wildfire cascade to move northward in November and December, affecting Rorai...
