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Amazonia as a carbon source linked to deforestation and climate change
Luciana V Gatti1,2, Luana S Basso3, John B Miller4
1General Coordination of Earth Science (CGCT), National Institute for Space Research (INPE), São José dos Campos, Brazil. luciana.gatti@inpe.br.
Nature
|July 15, 2021
Summary
Amazonia
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Atmospheric Chemistry
- Ecology
Background:
- Amazonia's rainforests are a critical global carbon sink.
- Deforestation and climate change are diminishing this capacity.
- The region may be transitioning into a net carbon source.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate Amazonia's carbon budget.
- To identify drivers of its shift from carbon sink to source.
- To analyze regional differences in carbon emissions.
Main Methods:
- Conducted 590 aircraft vertical profiling measurements.
- Measured lower-tropospheric carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide.
- Utilized data from four Amazonian sites (2010-2018).
Main Results:
- Eastern Amazonia shows higher total carbon emissions than the west, driven by fire emissions.
- Southeastern Amazonia functions as a net carbon source.
- Intensified dry seasons and increased deforestation correlate with higher carbon emissions and ecosystem stress.
Conclusions:
- Climate change and deforestation are increasing Amazonia's carbon emissions.
- Eastern Amazonia, particularly the southeast, is a significant carbon source.
- Ecosystem stress, fire occurrence, and tree mortality are rising due to these trends.
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