The May 2024 Flood Disaster in Southern Brazil: Causes, Impacts, and SWOT‐Based Volume Estimation
Abstract In May 2024, southern Brazil experienced a severe flood that caused widespread devastation, particularly in the metropolitan area of Porto Alegre. This disaster resulted from a rare combination of atmospheric conditions: a heatwave stalled a cold front, leading to prolonged and intense rain...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2025-02-01
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| Series: | Geophysical Research Letters |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL112442 |
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| author | Iury T. Simoes‐Sousa Carolina M. L. Camargo Juliana Tavora Agata Piffer‐Braga J. Thomas Farrar Tamlin M. Pavelsky |
| author_facet | Iury T. Simoes‐Sousa Carolina M. L. Camargo Juliana Tavora Agata Piffer‐Braga J. Thomas Farrar Tamlin M. Pavelsky |
| author_sort | Iury T. Simoes‐Sousa |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract In May 2024, southern Brazil experienced a severe flood that caused widespread devastation, particularly in the metropolitan area of Porto Alegre. This disaster resulted from a rare combination of atmospheric conditions: a heatwave stalled a cold front, leading to prolonged and intense rainfall. The flood claimed 183 lives, left 27 missing, and displaced many more. Notably, the flood's peak coincided with satellite observations from both SWOT and Sentinel‐2, providing a valuable snapshot of the disaster. To assess the flood's scope, and volume, we integrate these satellite data with FABDEM topography. SWOT's water height measurements, evaluated with in situ data, underscore its flood monitoring potential. The estimated floodwater volume was ∼ 1.5 billion m3. While primarily damaging croplands, the flood directly affected ∼ 420,000 individuals in the study region, with ∼ 16% identified as socially vulnerable. These findings offer insights into floodwater distribution and contribute to future flood dynamics research, mitigation strategies, and disaster preparedness. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-a2c616c3ec374d82af9db165c63cefa2 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 0094-8276 1944-8007 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Geophysical Research Letters |
| spelling | doaj-art-a2c616c3ec374d82af9db165c63cefa22025-08-20T02:58:26ZengWileyGeophysical Research Letters0094-82761944-80072025-02-01524n/an/a10.1029/2024GL112442The May 2024 Flood Disaster in Southern Brazil: Causes, Impacts, and SWOT‐Based Volume EstimationIury T. Simoes‐Sousa0Carolina M. L. Camargo1Juliana Tavora2Agata Piffer‐Braga3J. Thomas Farrar4Tamlin M. Pavelsky5Department of Physical Oceanography Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Woods Hole MA USADepartment of Physical Oceanography Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Woods Hole MA USAFaculty of Geo‐Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC) University of Twente Enschede The NetherlandsDepartment of Civil and Environmental Engineering University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Dartmouth MA USADepartment of Physical Oceanography Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Woods Hole MA USADepartment of Earth, Marine and Environmental Sciences University of North Carolina Chapel Hill NC USAAbstract In May 2024, southern Brazil experienced a severe flood that caused widespread devastation, particularly in the metropolitan area of Porto Alegre. This disaster resulted from a rare combination of atmospheric conditions: a heatwave stalled a cold front, leading to prolonged and intense rainfall. The flood claimed 183 lives, left 27 missing, and displaced many more. Notably, the flood's peak coincided with satellite observations from both SWOT and Sentinel‐2, providing a valuable snapshot of the disaster. To assess the flood's scope, and volume, we integrate these satellite data with FABDEM topography. SWOT's water height measurements, evaluated with in situ data, underscore its flood monitoring potential. The estimated floodwater volume was ∼ 1.5 billion m3. While primarily damaging croplands, the flood directly affected ∼ 420,000 individuals in the study region, with ∼ 16% identified as socially vulnerable. These findings offer insights into floodwater distribution and contribute to future flood dynamics research, mitigation strategies, and disaster preparedness.https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL112442 |
| spellingShingle | Iury T. Simoes‐Sousa Carolina M. L. Camargo Juliana Tavora Agata Piffer‐Braga J. Thomas Farrar Tamlin M. Pavelsky The May 2024 Flood Disaster in Southern Brazil: Causes, Impacts, and SWOT‐Based Volume Estimation Geophysical Research Letters |
| title | The May 2024 Flood Disaster in Southern Brazil: Causes, Impacts, and SWOT‐Based Volume Estimation |
| title_full | The May 2024 Flood Disaster in Southern Brazil: Causes, Impacts, and SWOT‐Based Volume Estimation |
| title_fullStr | The May 2024 Flood Disaster in Southern Brazil: Causes, Impacts, and SWOT‐Based Volume Estimation |
| title_full_unstemmed | The May 2024 Flood Disaster in Southern Brazil: Causes, Impacts, and SWOT‐Based Volume Estimation |
| title_short | The May 2024 Flood Disaster in Southern Brazil: Causes, Impacts, and SWOT‐Based Volume Estimation |
| title_sort | may 2024 flood disaster in southern brazil causes impacts and swot based volume estimation |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL112442 |
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