Increased chlorophyll-a concentration in Barra Bonita reservoir during extreme drought periods

Climate projections models indicate that longer periods of droughts are expected within the next 100 years in various parts of South America. To understand the effects of longer periods of droughts on aquatic environments, we investigated the response of chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) concentration to recent severe drought events in the Barra Bonita Hydroelectric Reservoir (BBHR) in São Paulo State, Brazil. We used satellite imagery to estimate the Chl-a concentration from 2014 to 2020 using the Slope Index (NRMSE of 18.92% and bias of −0.20 mg m−3). Ancillary data such as precipitation, water level and air temperature from the same period were also used. Drought events were identified using the standardized precipitation index (SPI). In addition, we computed the probability of future drought events. Two periods showed extremely dry conditions: 1) January–February (2014) and 2) April–May (2020). Both periods were characterized by a recurrence probability of 1in every 50 years. The highest correlation was observed between Chl-a concentration and SPI (−0.97) in 2014, while Chl-a had had the highest correlation with water level (−0.59) in 2020. These results provide new insights into the influence of extreme drought events on the Chl-a concentration in the BBHR and their relationship with other climate variables and reservoir water levels. Drought events imply less rainfall, higher temperatures, and atmospheric dryness, and these factors affect evaporation and the water levels in the reservoir. [Display omitted] •Drought events from 2014 to 2020 were assessed.•Satellite images were used to estimate the chlorophyll-a concentrations.•The relationship between algal bloom and drought was investigated.•Algal bloom was more influenced by air temperature and drought severity.