CO2 Rise in The Amazon Could Affect Rainfall More Than Deforestation
Even if deforestation is completely halted, research has found a global rise in carbon dioxide could still jeopardize the climate above the world's largest tropical rainforest.
According to new simulations, a 50 percent rise in global CO2 emissions has the power to reduce rainfall in the Amazon by a drastic amount, possibly equivalent to what would occur if the entire forest was cut down and replaced with pastures.
"To our surprise, just the physiological effect [of CO2] on the leaves of the forest would generate an annual fall of 12 percent in the amount of rain [252 millimeters less per year], whereas total deforestation would lead to a fall of 9 percent [183 mm]," says ecologist David Montenegro Lapola from the University of Campinas (UNICAMP) in Brazil.
As we speak, it seems deforestation and CO2 emissions are leading to reduced moisture above the Amazon, although in slightly different ways.
