Amazon regions emit more carbon than they absorb, reveals new study

A new study has revealed that deforestation and climate change are altering the Amazon rainforest's ability to soak up carbon.

The Amazon, which is home to the world's largest tropical forest, has played a significant role in absorbing and storing much of carbon.

However, the growing impacts of climate change and deforestation are taking their toll on this crucial CO2 sponge.

Earlier, it has been revealed that the rainforest in Brazil released about 20 per cent more CO2 into the atmosphere than it took in over the period from 2010-2019.

However, this new study highlights that change and finds that some regions of the rainforest were "a steadily increasing source" of carbon between 2010 and 2018.

Also read | Deforestation in world's largest rainforest Amazon rose 17% in 'dire' 2020

The lead author Luciana Gatti, with Brazil's National Institute for Space Research, was quoted by BBC saying, "In the eastern part of the Amazon, which is around 30% deforested, this region emitted 10 times more carbon then in the west, which is around 11% deforested". 

She further added, "This is a huge impact, you know directly because we are emitting CO2 to the atmosphere, which is accelerating climate change but also because it is promoting changes in the dry season conditions and stress to trees that will produce even more emissions. This is terrible negative feedback that increases the emissions much more than we knew".

As per the researchers, forests in the southeast of the Amazon have been badly hit by deforestation and climate change. However, in this area, the temperatures have increased in the two hottest months of the year by 3.07C. This comes around the same increase seen in the Arctic and around three times the global average.

Dr Gatti said, "This is amazing. It's a complete surprise for the equator layer of the globe."