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Vegetation dynamics and rainfall sensitivity of the amazon
| Content Provider | NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS) |
|---|---|
| Author | Bi, Jian Hilker Sr., Thomas Wang, Yujie Sellers, Piers J. Hall, Forrest G. Myneni, Ranga B. Mendes de Moura, Yhasmin Tucker, Compton J. Lyapustin, Alexei I. |
| Copyright Year | 2014 |
| Description | We show that the vegetation canopy of the Amazon rainforest is highly sensitive to changes in precipitation patterns and that reduction in rainfall since 2000 has diminished vegetation greenness across large parts of Amazonia. Large-scale directional declines in vegetation greenness may indicate decreases in carbon uptake and substantial changes in the energy balance of the Amazon. We use improved estimates of surface reflectance from satellite data to show a close link between reductions in annual precipitation, El Nino southern oscillation events, and photosynthetic activity across tropical and subtropical Amazonia. We report that, since the year 2000, precipitation has declined across 69% of the tropical evergreen forest (5.4 million sq km) and across 80% of the subtropical grasslands (3.3 million sq km). These reductions, which coincided with a decline in terrestrial water storage, account for about 55% of a satellite-observed widespread decline in the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI). During El Nino events, NDVI was reduced about 16.6% across an area of up to 1.6 million sq km compared with average conditions. Several global circulation models suggest that a rise in equatorial sea surface temperature and related displacement of the intertropical convergence zone could lead to considerable drying of tropical forests in the 21st century. Our results provide evidence that persistent drying could degrade Amazonian forest canopies, which would have cascading effects on global carbon and climate dynamics. |
| File Size | 1453315 |
| Page Count | 6 |
| File Format | |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | http://archive.org/details/NASA_NTRS_Archive_20150011447 |
| Archival Resource Key | ark:/13960/t4pk5d02s |
| Language | English |
| Publisher Date | 2014-10-27 |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Subject Keyword | Climate Change Precipitation Amazon Amazon Region South America Normalized Difference Vegetation Index Forests Canopies Vegetation Time Series Analysis Satellite Observation Radiometric Correction Carbon Sensitivity Rain Algorithms Southern Oscillation Vegetation Modis Radiometry El Nino Ntrs Nasa Technical Reports Server (ntrs) Nasa Technical Reports Server Aerodynamics Aircraft Aerospace Engineering Aerospace Aeronautic Space Science |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Article |
