Phys.org April 30, 2021
Spatial–temporal dynamics of aboveground biomass (AGB) and forest area affect the carbon cycle, climate, and biodiversity in the Brazilian Amazon. An international team of researchers (USA – University of Oklahoma, Caltech, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, France, Denmark, China, UK) investigated interannual changes in AGB and forest area by analysing satellite-based annual AGB and forest area datasets. They found that the gross forest area loss was larger in 2019 than in 2015, possibly due to recent loosening of forest protection policies. However, the net AGB loss was three times smaller in 2019 than in 2015. During 2010–2019, the Brazilian Amazon had a cumulative gross loss of 4.45 Pg C against a gross gain of 3.78 Pg C, resulting in a net AGB loss of 0.67 Pg C. Forest degradation (73%) contributed three times more to the gross AGB loss than deforestation (27%), given that the areal extent of degradation exceeds that of deforestation. This indicates that forest degradation has become the largest process driving carbon loss and should become a higher policy priority…read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLEÂ
The changes in average AGB and forest area within 0.25° (~25 km × 25 km) grid cells before and after the 2015 extreme El Niño in 2010–2013 and 2015–2018. Credit: Nature Climate Change (2021)Â