Amazon Droughts Increase Carbon Emissions


The Amazon rainforest isn't just home to some of the most amazing creatures in the world, it's also a valuable tool for fighting off climate change, as the forest can absorb harmful carbon emissions. But when the forest goes through a drought, like the one that happened last year, it can actually be very harmful to the environment.

In 2010 the Amazon went through a severe drought, which caused a good deal of vegetation to die. And when those plants die, all of the harmful emissions they absorbed gets released back into the air.

"If events like this happen more often, the Amazon rain forest would reach a point where it shifts from being a valuable carbon sink slowing climate change to a major source of greenhouse gases that could speed it up," said Simon Lewis, a researcher from the University of Leeds.

The Amazon usually absorbs around 1.5 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide a year, but because of the drought this didn't happen last year. In fact, it ended up releasing around five billion metric tons,which is almost the same as what the United States produces in a year.

Via The Huffington Post

blog comments powered by Disqus