The Amazon Delta (Portuguese: delta do Amazonas) is a vast river delta formed by the Amazon River and the Tocantins River (through the Pará River distributary channel) in northern South America.[1][2][3] It is located in the Brazilian states of Amapá and Pará[4] and encompasses the Marajó Archipelago, with Marajó Island as its largest island. The main cities located in the vicinity are Belém and Macapá, each with its respective metropolitan region.[5]
Despite the Amazon Delta discharging more than a billion tons of sediment a year, the delta does not have a subaerial expression and thus does not meet the classic definition of a regular delta.
It has a tropical climate with high humid temperatures. The Amazon Delta has a wet season of frequent flooding and a dry season where the water dries out. These seasons shape the environment of the Amazon Delta and the life that lives there. Such life that lives in the Amazon Delta include the water buffalo which Marajo Island is well known for, three-toed sloths, capybara, giant anteater, giant otter, jaguar and pink river dolphins.[6]
References
edit- ^ Geografia do Brasil: Região norte. Rio de Janeiro: Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE). 1977.
- ^ de Araujo Barbosa, C. C.; Atkinson, P.; Dearing, J. (December 2014). "The spatial extent of change in tropical forest ecosystem services in the Amazon delta". AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts. 2014. United States: ADS Abstract Service (Harvard University): PA21A–11. Bibcode:2014AGUFMPA21A..11D.
- ^ "NASA Images: STS046-80-009 > Mouths of the Amazon River, Brazil, South America". images.nasa.gov. United States: NASA. Retrieved 2020-03-28.
- ^ "Fapespa participa de workshop sobre indicadores de vulnerabilidade do Delta do Amazonas". FAPESPA. 2015. Archived from the original on 2020-02-26. Retrieved 2020-03-27.
- ^ Benchimol, Samuel. Manual de introdução 'a Amazônia. Manaus: Edição Reprográfica.
- ^ "Amazon Delta". WorldAtlas. 2023-10-21. Retrieved 2024-10-17.
