The Amazon Rainforest and Climate Change By Arash Hozhabri
The Amazon Rainforest
and Climate Change
By Arash Hozhabri
"The ecosystem’s response is lagging behind the rate of climate change" (Muelbert, 2018).
Research done by the University of Leeds shows that over the past 30 years, higher c02 levels,
high temps, and droughts have increased the mortality rates of thousands of tree species. Also,
the trees that are more vulnerable to droughts are not being replaced fast enough by the trees
that can thrive in dry environment. This slow decline affects the overall tree diversity in the
rain forest.
Univ er sity of Texas at Aust in Geoscience. (2008, O ctober 23). Summer Rain: Ker r y Cook’s Climat e Resear ch in Afr ica and t he Am er i ca. Ret r iev ed Nov ember 11, 2018, fr om ht t ps://www.jsg.utexas.edu/news/2008/10/summer -r ain/
Good News
Pioneer trees (trees that grow in
abundance after old trees die off)
benefit from the increase in C02
levels. These trees will grow faster
due to the high levels. They also
disperse
Also, the number of pioneer trees and
the rate of climate change are
increasing similarly, so these trees can
help slow down the overall decrease
in biodiversity. Example of Cecropia (pioneer spec ies )
For some more bad news
Scientists say that by year 2050,
not only will the average
temperture go up 3 degrees
(celcius), but droughts will be dryer
because of even less rainfall during
dry months (Nepstad, 2008).
Citations
Background. (n.d.). Retriev ed Nov ember 11, 2018, from
http://aztecacecropia.com/background/
Univ ersity of Texas at Austin Geoscience. (2008, October 23). Summer Rain: Kerry Cook’s
Climate Research in Africa and the America. Retriev ed Nov ember 11, 2018, from
https://w w w.jsg.utexas.edu/new s/2008/10/summer -rain/
Univ ersity of Leeds. (2018, Nov ember 07). Amazon rainforest can’t keep up w ith climate
change. Retriev ed Nov ember 11, 2018, from
http://w w w.leeds.ac.uk/new s/article/4322/amazon_rainforest_cant_keep_up_w ith_climate_
change
Nepstad. (2008, Fall). Climate change in the Amazon. Retriev ed Nov ember 11, 2018, from
http://w w f.panda.org/know ledge_hub/w here_we_work/amazon/amazon_threats/climate_ch
ange_amazon/
