Forest-rainfall cascades buffer against drought across the Amazon

Arie Staal; Obbe A. Tuinenburg; Joyce H. C. Bosmans; Milena Holmgren; Egbert H. van Nes; Marten Scheffer; Delphine Clara Zemp; Stefan C. Dekker

doi:10.1038/s41558-018-0177-y

Forest-rainfall cascades buffer against drought across the Amazon

Arie Staal^*, Obbe A. Tuinenburg, Joyce H. C. Bosmans, Milena Holmgren, Egbert H. van Nes, Marten Scheffer, Delphine Clara Zemp, Stefan C. Dekker

^*Corresponding author for this work

Wageningen University & Research

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review

Abstract

Tree transpiration in the Amazon may enhance rainfall for downwind forests. Until now it has been unclear how this cascading effect plays out across the basin. Here, we calculate local forest transpiration and the subsequent trajectories of transpired water through the atmosphere in high spatial and temporal detail. We estimate that one-third of Amazon rainfall originates within its own basin, of which two-thirds has been transpired. Forests in the southern half of the basin contribute most to the stability of other forests in this way, whereas forests in the south-western Amazon are particularly dependent on transpired-water subsidies. These forest-rainfall cascades buffer the effects of drought and reveal a mechanism by which deforestation can compromise the resilience of the Amazon forest system in the face of future climatic extremes.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	539-543
Journal	Nature Climate Change
Volume	8
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-018-0177-y
Publication status	Published - 2018

Keywords

atmospheric science
forest ecology
hydrology

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title = "Forest-rainfall cascades buffer against drought across the Amazon",

abstract = "Tree transpiration in the Amazon may enhance rainfall for downwind forests. Until now it has been unclear how this cascading effect plays out across the basin. Here, we calculate local forest transpiration and the subsequent trajectories of transpired water through the atmosphere in high spatial and temporal detail. We estimate that one-third of Amazon rainfall originates within its own basin, of which two-thirds has been transpired. Forests in the southern half of the basin contribute most to the stability of other forests in this way, whereas forests in the south-western Amazon are particularly dependent on transpired-water subsidies. These forest-rainfall cascades buffer the effects of drought and reveal a mechanism by which deforestation can compromise the resilience of the Amazon forest system in the face of future climatic extremes.",

keywords = "atmospheric science, forest ecology, hydrology",

author = "Arie Staal and Tuinenburg, {Obbe A.} and Bosmans, {Joyce H. C.} and Milena Holmgren and Nes, {Egbert H. van} and Marten Scheffer and Zemp, {Delphine Clara} and Dekker, {Stefan C.}",

year = "2018",

doi = "10.1038/s41558-018-0177-y",

language = "English",

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journal = "Nature Climate Change",

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TY - JOUR

T1 - Forest-rainfall cascades buffer against drought across the Amazon

AU - Staal, Arie

AU - Tuinenburg, Obbe A.

AU - Bosmans, Joyce H. C.

AU - Holmgren, Milena

AU - Nes, Egbert H. van

AU - Scheffer, Marten

AU - Zemp, Delphine Clara

AU - Dekker, Stefan C.

PY - 2018

Y1 - 2018

N2 - Tree transpiration in the Amazon may enhance rainfall for downwind forests. Until now it has been unclear how this cascading effect plays out across the basin. Here, we calculate local forest transpiration and the subsequent trajectories of transpired water through the atmosphere in high spatial and temporal detail. We estimate that one-third of Amazon rainfall originates within its own basin, of which two-thirds has been transpired. Forests in the southern half of the basin contribute most to the stability of other forests in this way, whereas forests in the south-western Amazon are particularly dependent on transpired-water subsidies. These forest-rainfall cascades buffer the effects of drought and reveal a mechanism by which deforestation can compromise the resilience of the Amazon forest system in the face of future climatic extremes.

AB - Tree transpiration in the Amazon may enhance rainfall for downwind forests. Until now it has been unclear how this cascading effect plays out across the basin. Here, we calculate local forest transpiration and the subsequent trajectories of transpired water through the atmosphere in high spatial and temporal detail. We estimate that one-third of Amazon rainfall originates within its own basin, of which two-thirds has been transpired. Forests in the southern half of the basin contribute most to the stability of other forests in this way, whereas forests in the south-western Amazon are particularly dependent on transpired-water subsidies. These forest-rainfall cascades buffer the effects of drought and reveal a mechanism by which deforestation can compromise the resilience of the Amazon forest system in the face of future climatic extremes.

KW - atmospheric science

KW - forest ecology

KW - hydrology

UR - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-018-0177-y

U2 - 10.1038/s41558-018-0177-y

DO - 10.1038/s41558-018-0177-y

M3 - Article

SN - 1758-678X

VL - 8

SP - 539

EP - 543

JO - Nature Climate Change

JF - Nature Climate Change

ER -

Forest-rainfall cascades buffer against drought across the Amazon

Abstract

Keywords

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