Thread by @MetroUK

The Amazon rainforest is reaching a ‘tipping point’ where large swathes will soon begin to transform into savannah, according to a new study 🌳➡️🏝️metro.co.uk/2022/03/07/ama…

The authors of the new paper said three-quarters of the Amazon is showing a dwindling resilience against droughts and other adverse weather events, such as fires - meaning it's less able to recover.
metro.co.uk/2021/08/06/fea…

The loss of the forest would mean billions of tons of carbon dioxide would be released into the atmosphere, as well as a reduction in the planet’s ability to recycle the greenhouse gas, leading to the acceleration of global climate change 😬

While researchers admit it is ‘highly uncertain’ exactly when exactly the tipping point will arrive, once the process begins they predict it could be a matter of decades before a ‘significant chunk’ — possibly ‘well over’ 50% — of the rainforest is transformed into savannah.

Around a fifth of the rainforest has already been lost, compared to pre-industrial levels ⏱️🌳

‘We’ve found a pronounced loss of Amazon Rainforest resilience over the last 20 years,’ said Dr Chris Boulton, from the University of Exeter.

‘75% of the coverage of the Amazon rainforest appears to show some sense of a loss of resilience compared to the early 2000's.’

Researchers have focused specifically on the Amazon rainforest is due to its key role in the global climate ecosystem.

Its transformation into a savannah would therefore be devastating for the environment, both in South America and across the globe.

If it happens, the Amazon will lose an estimated 90 billion tons of carbon dioxide mostly from the trees and some from the soil, which is several years of emissions.

The findings, published in the journal Springer Nature, were reached with the use of satellite data from 1991 to 2016, which include measurements of the density of life in the forest, which is closely linked to water levels, and vegetation greenness. metro.co.uk/2022/03/07/ama…