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Recent studies show that parts of the Brazilian Amazon are experiencing longer dry seasons, shifting rainfall patterns, and worsening drought conditions. <\/p>\n
These changes are not only affecting the forest itself. They are also increasing the risk of fires, damaging ecosystems, and threatening the region\u2019s ability to recover from environmental stress.<\/p>\n
A changing climate in the Amazon<\/p>\n
Evidence of change also includes the extended dry season<\/a>. Some studies have reported a shift in certain parts of the Amazon where the dry season now lasts between four and six months, during which time water deficits reach over -150 millimeters.<\/p>\n An extended dry season creates a cascade of effects. Increased stress on the trees leads to increased fire susceptibility, habitat loss for wildlife<\/a>, and eventually a change in the structural composition of the rainforest.<\/p>\n Climate model projections also indicate that things could get worse if greenhouse gas emissions remain high. <\/p>\n By the end of the century, southwestern parts of the Amazon may face even greater water shortages during the dry season.<\/p>\n Lessons learned from past droughts<\/p>\n The lessons have not been drawn just from future predictions. The scientists studied a severe Amazon drought from 2023 to 2024, which was strongly affected by the El Ni\u00f1o<\/a> phenomenon.<\/p>\n The results reveal worrying figures. The area of burned territory grew by 9%, whereas warnings of the degradation of forests went up by 19 percent. <\/p>\n During the peak of the drought, the extent of fires reached 4.2 million hectares.<\/p>\n It is clear that there are now more incidents where forest fires<\/a> are associated with degraded forests as opposed to cleared forests. <\/p>\n This point is vital considering the fact that a forest could be degraded but still look healthy from afar. <\/p>\n Worst-case scenarios becoming reality<\/p>\n The research was led by scientists from Brazil\u2019s National Institute for Space Research<\/a> (INPE), an organization that has spent decades monitoring environmental changes across the Amazon.<\/p>\n D\u00e9bora Dutra is an environmental and sanitation engineer, doctoral candidate in remote sensing at the INPE.<\/p>\n \u201cA few years ago, when we started talking about climate scenarios for the Amazon, that future often seemed far off in the most pessimistic scenarios,\u201d said Dutra.<\/p>\n \u201cHowever, we\u2019re now observing the most pessimistic anomaly extremes occurring in the present.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhen we compare today\u2019s data with the projections, we see how critical the situation is becoming as we include pessimistic scenarios in the climate analysis.\u201d<\/p>\n Why water stress matters<\/p>\n To understand what is happening, the researchers used a measurement known as the maximum cumulative water deficit, or MCWD. <\/p>\n This indicator helps scientists track water stress in tropical forests<\/a>.<\/p>\n Water stress arises when water loss by the plants exceeds replacement. <\/p>\n Prolonged water stress will slow down the growth of trees, increase their mortality rate, and make them more vulnerable to diseases and fire.<\/p>\n The possibility of another major El Ni\u00f1o<\/p>\n The studies also raise concerns about the possibility of a \u201csuper El Ni\u00f1o\u201d developing this year or next. El Ni\u00f1o occurs when waters in the equatorial Pacific Ocean become unusually warm.<\/p>\n In particularly strong events, temperatures can rise by more than 2 degrees Celsius above average. <\/p>\n These warming patterns can disrupt atmospheric circulation and rainfall around the world.<\/p>\n For the Amazon, that often means hotter conditions and reduced rainfall, increasing the risk of drought and fire.<\/p>\n Turning science into action<\/p>\n Researchers say understanding these changes is only part of the challenge. The larger question is how governments, institutions, and communities respond.<\/p>\n Dr. Liana Anderson leads the Tropical Ecosystems and Environmental Sciences (TREES<\/a>) project alongside Dr. Luiz Arag\u00e3o.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re at a crucial moment with national and international goals to be met by 2030. If we direct our efforts in that direction, we can achieve them,\u201d said Dr. Anderson.<\/p>\n \u201cWe must view the connection between the environment, development, and the economy as an inseparable triad in terms of both exploitation and the cost of reconstruction following the impacts.\u201d <\/p>\n Dr. Anderson believes that the climate crisis presents an opportunity to rethink our paths and accelerate sustainable initiatives that promote quality of life, social justice, and environmental justice. <\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s mobilization within the scientific community to contribute and present alternatives. The question is, who\u2019s willing to listen to what\u2019s been studied over the past few decades?\u201d<\/p>\n The full study was published in the Journal of Climatology<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u2014\u2013<\/p>\n Like what you read? Subscribe to our newsletter<\/a> for engaging articles, exclusive content, and the latest updates.\u00a0<\/p>\n Check us out on EarthSnap<\/a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls<\/a> and Earth.com.<\/p>\n \u2014\u2013<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Amazon rainforest is one of Earth\u2019s most important natural systems. It stores massive amounts of carbon, supports…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":470964,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[242,85,46,141],"class_list":["post-470963","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-environment","tag-environment","tag-il","tag-israel","tag-science"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/470963","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=470963"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/470963\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/470964"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=470963"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=470963"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=470963"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}