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A deforestation-induced tipping point for the South American monsoon system

Boers, Niklas ; Marwan, Norbert ; Barbosa, Henrique M J ; Kurths, Jürgen

Scientific reports, 2017-01, Vol.7 (1), p.41489-41489, Article 41489 [Periódico revisado por pares]

England: Nature Publishing Group

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  • Título:
    A deforestation-induced tipping point for the South American monsoon system
  • Autor: Boers, Niklas ; Marwan, Norbert ; Barbosa, Henrique M J ; Kurths, Jürgen
  • Assuntos: Computer Simulation ; Conservation of Natural Resources ; Deforestation ; Dieback ; Earth Sciences ; Evapotranspiration ; Feedback ; Models, Theoretical ; Precipitation ; Rain ; Rainforests ; Sciences of the Universe ; Seasons ; South America ; Transpiration ; Tropical Climate
  • É parte de: Scientific reports, 2017-01, Vol.7 (1), p.41489-41489, Article 41489
  • Notas: ObjectType-Article-1
    SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
    ObjectType-Feature-2
    content type line 23
    PMCID: PMC5264177
  • Descrição: The Amazon rainforest has been proposed as a tipping element of the earth system, with the possibility of a dieback of the entire ecosystem due to deforestation only of parts of the rainforest. Possible physical mechanisms behind such a transition are still subject to ongoing debates. Here, we use a specifically designed model to analyse the nonlinear couplings between the Amazon rainforest and the atmospheric moisture transport from the Atlantic to the South American continent. These couplings are associated with a westward cascade of precipitation and evapotranspiration across the Amazon. We investigate impacts of deforestation on the South American monsoonal circulation with particular focus on a previously neglected positive feedback related to condensational latent heating over the rainforest, which strongly enhances atmospheric moisture inflow from the Atlantic. Our results indicate the existence of a tipping point. In our model setup, crossing the tipping point causes precipitation reductions of up to 40% in non-deforested parts of the western Amazon and regions further downstream. The responsible mechanism is the breakdown of the aforementioned feedback, which occurs when deforestation reduces transpiration to a point where the available atmospheric moisture does not suffice anymore to release the latent heat needed to maintain the feedback.
  • Editor: England: Nature Publishing Group
  • Idioma: Inglês
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