US EditionAmazon's 'Flying Rivers' Weaken as Deforestation Threatens Rainfall
Deforestation has reduced Amazon forest cover by 17%, weakening water vapor flows that supply half the rainfall to the western Amazon, increasing drought and tipping point risks.
- Scientists warn that relentless deforestation and drying rivers in the Amazon threaten the region’s 'flying rivers' that sustain the rainforest.
- This threat stems from losing about 17% of forest cover due mostly to cattle and soy farming, worsening droughts and disrupting water flow.
- Dry seasons are now five weeks longer with 20 to 30% less rainfall, causing failed crops, disrupted Indigenous seasonal activities, fires, and hydroelectric outages.
- Matt Finer explained that certain natural processes are essential for the formation and maintenance of the Amazon rainforest, while Nobre emphasized the urgent need to halt deforestation immediately, noting that this issue requires cooperation beyond any single nation's efforts.
- Researchers recommend safeguarding existing forested areas, upholding the land rights of Indigenous communities, and rehabilitating cleared lands to prevent the Amazon from transitioning into savanna.
49 Articles
49 Articles
Associated Press News
As Amazon's 'flying rivers' weaken with tree loss, scientists warn of worsening droughts
Scientists warn that “flying rivers” — invisible streams of moisture that carry rain from the Atlantic Ocean westward across the Amazon — are weakening as deforestation and climate change advance.
Droughts have withered crops in Peru, fires have ravaged the Amazon and hydroelectric dams in Ecuador battle to generate electricity because rivers dry up. Scientists say that the cause can be found far above the rainforest, where invisible “flying rivers” carry rain from the Atlantic Ocean [...] The entrance Deforestation affects the “flying rivers” that moisturize the Amazon, says study was first published in Information Focus.
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Droughts have wilted crops in Peru, fires have burned the Amazonian and hydroelectric dams in Ecuador have struggled to keep the lights lit while the rivers dry. Scientists say that the cause can be above the tropical forest, where invisible "flying rivers" carry rain [...]
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