Summary
Using an extensive network of forest plots across the Amazon Basin, this study quantified the impact of the 2010 drought on forest dynamics by measuring mortality, growth, and biomass changes. The drought reversed the pre-2010 baseline biomass sink (1.33 Mg ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹) to a net loss of 1.95 Mg ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹, driven primarily by increased mortality and reduced productivity. Surprisingly, tree mortality was unrelated to local precipitation anomalies and prior drought history, whilst productivity declines were systematically related to the strength of moisture deficit, and the 2010 drought rendered Amazonian forests carbon neutral rather than a carbon sink.
Regional applicability
This study focuses on tropical forest dynamics in the Amazon Basin and does not directly apply to United Kingdom farming or forestry systems. However, the findings on forest resilience to repeated droughts and the potential loss of carbon sequestration capacity under climate stress may inform UK policy discussions on natural climate solutions and long-term carbon storage in terrestrial ecosystems.
Key measures
Net biomass change (Mg ha⁻¹), biomass mortality rate (Mg ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹), biomass productivity (Mg ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹), tree growth rates, precipitation anomalies, carbon flux (Pg C yr⁻¹)
Outcomes reported
The study measured forest biomass changes, mortality rates, and productivity during the 2010 drought using ground-based forest plot observations across the Amazon Basin. The 2010 drought caused a net biomass loss of 0.43 Mg ha⁻¹, driven by increased tree mortality (1.45 Mg ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹) and reduced productivity (−0.50 Mg ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹), resulting in Amazon forests being carbon neutral rather than a carbon sink.
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