Thursday, January 23, 2014

Pantanal > Amazon

Dr. Bob mentioned it briefly in class, and I was reminded again when I read this post, how lucky we are to be going to a place where the wildlife is so effortlessly visible. The flat, grassy plains and open wetlands of the Pantanal make it much easier to spot animals in their natural habitat than in the dense forrest of the Amazon. The Pantanal is so flat, in fact, that its altitude range is only from 0-200 meters.


The Pantanal is also more than just one ecosystem. Between September and November the Pantanal can be bone dry, resulting in a large area being consumed by fires. These fires, occurring both naturally from the lack of water and accidentally from agricultural burn-offs, are sited as causing respiratory problems for locals.


Conversely, during the wet season, November to March, the rivers' water levels may rise by as much as five meters.


I guess I just think it's super awesome that we have the opportunity to travel to a place that is so diverse not only ecologically but also environmentally!

- Megan Good

4 comments:

  1. I didn't know that the dry season is also fire season. It makes sense, of course, but I just didn't think of it originally when we learned that the Pantanal is two seasons. Looking at the role fire plays in the Pantanal ecosystem would be a really cool thematic topic for a presentation!

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  2. I didn't realize the Pantanal was so flat... I agree with you that that factor, in addition to the sparser vegetation, makes the Pantanal a better place to see wildlife than the Amazon.

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