Scientists have finally discovered why hundreds of dolphins mysteriously washed up dead on the shores of an Amazon lake.
Dangerously high temperatures in Brazil‘s Lake Tefé led the sea mammals to practically boil to death.
Scientist Ayan Fleischmann and his colleagues discovered that an extreme heat wave and severe drought in 2023 skyrocketed the lake’s temperatures, per their study published Thursday.
The alarming drought took the lives of 153 endangered dolphins the week of September 23 alone, per CBS. In their research, Fleischmann and his team took the water temperatures of ten major Amazonian lakes.
They found that half experienced exceptionally high day time water temperatures.
Lake waters in the Amazon normally sit at around 85 degrees Fahrenheit. Lake Tefé reached the most extreme reading at 105.8 degrees.
Its surface area shrank by 75 percent thanks to the drought and the water reached temperatures higher than the average hot tub.
IN 2023 more than 100 freshwater dolphins washed up on the shores of Lake Tefé in the Amazon
A new study finds that skyrocketing water temperatures contributed to the wildlife’s deaths
Pink dolphins and tucuxi dolphins are both endangered species. They accounted for every one of the dolphin deaths
Platinum Spas recommends relaxing in waters no warmer than 104 degrees.
Fleischmann’s team identified that solar heating, shallow waters, low wind speeds, and high water haziness were the driving factors in the unprecedented temperatures.
Each of these factors were exacerbated by the others, worsening the quality of life for lake dwellers in a horrifying spiral.
Turbulent temperatures at Lake Tefé which could drop by 20 degrees at night only to swing back up again during the day also caused stress on the wildlife.
This caused the lake’s fish to die in multitudes, accompanied by the 130 pink dolphins and 23 tucuxi dolphins.
According to the World Wildlife Fund, pink dolphins still have a population in the ten thousands but were marked vulnerable thanks to contamination of the freshwater they inhabit.
Tucuxi dolphins symbolize good luck, according to WWF, and are believed to be the guardians of the Amazon rivers.
Lake Tefé has lost 75 percent of its surface area and reached temperatures warmer than the average hot tub
Scientists believe events like this one will become more and more common at climate change worsens
Multiple factors including unpredictable temperatures, low wind speeds, and shallow waters caused stress on the dolphins
Fleischmann indicated that the dangerous water temperatures and alarming wildlife deaths were symptoms of climate change.
‘The climate emergency is here, there is no doubt about it,’ said Fleischmann.
While the study focused on 2023, another unprecedented drought took over the Amazon in 2024.
‘Ongoing climate change likely will cause more instances like this where temperatures approach or exceed thermal tolerances for aquatic life,’ wrote one of the study’s co-authors Jesse Smith.
As global warming continues to worsen, scientists predict more frequent droughts and far more severe heat waves along the Amazon, likely leading to the loss of even more wildlife.
Fleischmann said that freshwater lakes are crucial to food security for communities around the Amazon.
The ‘overlooked problem’ could affect the livelihood of local communities that were previously thought to be stable.
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Haunting new study reveals why hundreds of dolphins were found dead in Amazon lake