eBook

Assessment of the risk of Amazon dieback

Vergara, Walter, Scholz, Sebastian M

2011,2010

Overview

The Amazon basin is a key component of the global carbon cycle. The old-growth rainforests in the basin represent storage of ~ 120 petagrams of carbon (Pg C) in their biomass. Annually, these tropical forests process approximately 18 Pg C through respiration and photosynthesis. This is more than twice the rate of global anthropogenic fossil fuel emissions. The basin is also the largest global repository of biodiversity and produces about 20 percent of the world's flow of fresh water into the oceans. Despite the large carbon dioxide (CO2) efflux from recent deforestation, the Amazon rainforest ecosystem is still considered to be a net carbon sinks of 0.8-1.1 Pg C per year because growth on average exceeds mortality (Phillips et al. 2008). However, current climate trends and human-induced deforestation may be transforming forest structure and behavior (Phillips et al. 2009). Increasing temperatures may accelerate respiration rates and thus carbon emissions from soils (Malhi and Grace 2000). High probabilities for modification in rainfall patterns (Malhi et al. 2008) and prolonged drought stress may lead to reductions in biomass density. Resulting changes in evapo-transpiration and therefore convective precipitation could further accelerate drought conditions and destabilize the tropical ecosystem as a whole, causing a reduction in its biomass carrying capacity or dieback. In turn, changes in the structure of the Amazon and its associated water cycle will have implications for the many endemic species it contains and result in changes at a continental scale. Clearly, with much at stake, if climate-induced damage alters the state of the Amazon ecosystem, there is a need to better understand its risk, process, and dynamics. The objective of this study is to assist in understanding the risk, process, and dynamics of potential Amazon dieback and its implications.

• Publisher: The World Bank,World Bank,World Bank Publications
• Subject: ABOVEGROUND VEGETATION / AEROSOLS / AIR / AIR TEMPERATURE / Amazon / AMAZON DEFORESTATION / AMAZON FOREST / AMAZON RAINFOREST / Amazon River Region / Amazonasgebiet / AMAZONIAN FOREST / AMAZONIAN RAINFALL / ANNUAL PRECIPITATION / ATMOSPHERE / ATMOSPHERE-OCEAN GENERAL CIRCULATION / ATMOSPHEREOCEAN GENERAL CIRCULATION / ATMOSPHERIC CARBON / ATMOSPHERIC CARBON DIOXIDE / ATMOSPHERIC RESEARCH / BIOCLIMATIC LIMITS / BIOMASS CARBON / BIOMASS DENSITY / BIOSPHERE / CARBON / CARBON CHANGE / CARBON CONTENT / CARBON DIOXIDE LEVELS / CARBON EMISSION / CARBON EMISSIONS / CARBON SINK / CARBON STARVATION / CENTURY TEMPERATURE / CLEAN ENERGY / CLIMATE / CLIMATE CHANGE / CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION / CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS / CLIMATE CHANGE PROJECTIONS / CLIMATE CHANGE SCENARIOS / CLIMATE CHANGES / CLIMATE CONDITIONS / CLIMATE EQUILIBRIUM / CLIMATE EXTREMES / CLIMATE FEEDBACKS / CLIMATE FORCING / CLIMATE IMPACT / CLIMATE IMPACT RESEARCH / CLIMATE IMPACTS / CLIMATE MODEL / CLIMATE MODELS / CLIMATE POLICIES / CLIMATE PREDICTION / CLIMATE RESEARCH / CLIMATE RESEARCH UNIT / CLIMATE SCENARIO / CLIMATE SCENARIOS / CLIMATE SCIENCE / CLIMATE SIMULATION / CLIMATE SIMULATIONS / CLIMATE TRENDS / CLIMATE-VEGETATION MODEL / CLIMATIC CHANGES / Climatic changes -- Amazon River Region -- Forecasting -- Computer simulation / CLIMATIC CONDITIONS / CLIMATIC FACTORS / CLIMATIC RESEARCH / CLIMATIC VARIABLE / CLIMATOLOGY / CLOUD COVER / CLOUDS / CO2 / COLORS / Computer simulation / CONVECTIVE PRECIPITATION / CONVERGENCE / CRU / DEFORESTATION / Deforestation -- Amazon River Region -- Computer simulation / DEFORESTATION SCENARIOS / DROUGHT / DRY FORESTS / DRY SEASON / DYNAMIC GLOBAL VEGETATION MODEL / ECOSYSTEM / ECOSYSTEM RESILIENCE / ECOSYSTEM RESPONSES / ECOSYSTEM STRUCTURE / EMISSION / EMISSION SCENARIO / EMISSION SCENARIOS / EMISSION TRAJECTORIES / EMISSIONS / EMISSIONS FROM SOILS / EMISSIONS SCENARIOS / ENDEMIC SPECIES / ENERGY EFFICIENCY / Entwaldung / ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS / ENVIRONMENTAL ECONOMIST / Environmental protection / EVAPORATION / EVAPOTRANSPIRATION / EXTREME DRY / EXTREME EVENTS / EXTREME PRECIPITATION / EXTREME PRECIPITATION EVENTS / EXTREME WEATHER / EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS / FERTILIZATION / FLOODS / Forecasting / FOREST / Forest areas / FOREST BIOMASS / Forest biomass -- Carbon content -- Amazon River Region -- Computer simulation / FOREST BIOMASS ESTIMATE / FOREST CARBON / FOREST CONSERVATION / FOREST COVER / FOREST DEGRADATION / FOREST DIEBACK / FOREST ECOSYSTEMS / FOREST GROWTH / FOREST MICROCLIMATOLOGY / Forest microclimatology -- Amazon River Region -- Computer simulation / FOREST STANDS / FOREST STRUCTURE / FOREST TYPES / FORESTS / FOSSIL FUEL / FOSSIL FUEL EMISSIONS / FOSSIL FUELS / GCM / GENERAL CIRCULATION MODEL / GHG / GHGS / GLOBAL AVERAGE SURFACE WARMING / GLOBAL BIODIVERSITY / GLOBAL CARBON CYCLE / GLOBAL CLIMATE / GLOBAL EMISSION / GLOBAL EMISSIONS / GLOBAL GREENHOUSE GAS / GLOBAL GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSION / GLOBAL PRECIPITATION / GLOBAL PRECIPITATION CLIMATOLOGY / GLOBAL SCALE / GLOBAL VEGETATION / GLOBAL WARMING / GREENHOUSE / GREENHOUSE GASES / HYDROLOGICAL CHANGES / HYDROLOGY / ICE / IMPACT OF CLIMATE / IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE / INTERGOVERNMENTAL PANEL ON CLIMATE CHANGE / INTERNATIONAL CLIMATE POLICY / INTERTROPICAL CONVERGENCE ZONE / IPCC / ITCZ / Klimawandel / LAND SURFACE / LAND USE / LAND USE CHANGE / LAND USE CHANGES / LIGHTNING / LOSS OF VEGETATION / MEAN RAINFALL / METEOROLOGICAL RESEARCH / METHANE / NITROGEN / OCEANS / PHOTOSYNTHESIS / PLANT GROWTH / PRECIPITATION / RADIATIVE FORCING / RAIN / Rain forest / Rain forest plants / Rain forest plants -- Climatic factors -- Amazon River Region -- Computer simulation / RAINFALL / RAINFALL ANOMALIES / RAINFALL DISTRIBUTIONS / RAINFALL REDUCTION / RAINFALL TREND / RAINFALL VARIABILITY / Regenwald / RENEWABLE ENERGY / RESPONSE TO CLIMATE CHANGE / SCIENTISTS / SEA LEVEL RISE / SEASON / SEASONAL RAINFALL / Simulation / SULPHATE / SURFACE MODEL / SURFACE PRESSURE / SURFACE RUNOFF / SURFACE TEMPERATURE / SURFACE TEMPERATURE ANOMALIES / SURFACE TEMPERATURE CHANGE / SURFACE TEMPERATURES / SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT / TEMPERATE FORESTS / TEMPERATURE ANOMALIES / TEMPERATURE ANOMALY / TEMPERATURE CHANGE / TEMPERATURE CHANGES / TEMPERATURE INCREASE / TEMPERATURE INDEXES / TREE SPECIES / TROPICAL BROADLEAF EVERGREEN / TROPICAL FOREST / TROPICAL FOREST BIOMASS / TROPICAL FORESTS / TROPICS / URBAN AREAS / VEGETATION CARBON / VEGETATION CHANGE / VEGETATION DYNAMICS / VEGETATION GROWTH / WATER CYCLE / WEATHER FORECASTING / WEATHER PREDICTION / WET SEASON / WIND / WOODLAND
• ISBN: 9780821386224, 0821386220, 9780821386217, 0821386212