University of Brighton Professor Phil Ashworth will lead a “new study to predict the environmental toll of hundreds of vast new hydropower mega dams being built in the Amazon river basin and how they will shape the river for the next 200 years.”
According to The Argus, and Brighton and Hove Independent, Professor Ashworth, “who specialises in the dynamics of the world’s largest rivers, will be in charge of three survey vessels that will map the river bed, measure sediment, and investigate the river’s flow.” He will be leading a team of 18 leading global scientists.
In the articles, Dr. Ashworth is quoted: “The future of the Amazon river basin is at a critical juncture. Climate change and deforestation have driven increased soil erosion, larger floods and more frequent droughts over the past 30 years. Now, widespread hydropower dam construction in Brazil, Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador threaten the basin’s future. This ambitious project will be the first to model the impact of environmental change on a continental-scale river basin.”
The 3 year project is funded by a Natural Environment Research Council grant of £646,366 and will begin on September 1.