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Book Cover
E-book
Author Vergara, Walter, 1950-

Title Assessment of the risk of Amazon dieback / Walter Vergara and Sebastian Scholz
Published Washington, D.C. : World Bank, 2011

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Description 1 online resource (xiv, 95 pages) : illustrations (some color), color maps
Series World Bank study
World Bank study
Contents Modeling future climate in the Amazon using the Earth Simulator -- Assessment of future rainfall over the Amazon basin -- Analysis of Amazon forest response to climate change -- Interplay of climate impacts and deforestation in the Amazon
Summary The Amazon basin is a key component of the global carbon cycle. The old-growth rainforests in the basin represent storage of ̃ 120 petagrams of carbon (Pg C) in their biomass. Annually, these tropical forests process approximately 18 Pg C through respiration and photosynthesis. This is more than twice the rate of global anthropogenic fossil fuel emissions. The basin is also the largest global repository of biodiversity and produces about 20 percent of the world's flow of fresh water into the oceans. Despite the large carbon dioxide (CO2) efflux from recent deforestation, the Amazon rainforest ecosystem is still considered to be a net carbon sinks of 0.8-1.1 Pg C per year because growth on average exceeds mortality (Phillips et al. 2008). However, current climate trends and human-induced deforestation may be transforming forest structure and behavior (Phillips et al. 2009). Increasing temperatures may accelerate respiration rates and thus carbon emissions from soils (Malhi and Grace 2000). High probabilities for modification in rainfall patterns (Malhi et al. 2008) and prolonged drought stress may lead to reductions in biomass density. Resulting changes in evapo-transpiration and therefore convective precipitation could further accelerate drought conditions and destabilize the tropical ecosystem as a whole, causing a reduction in its biomass carrying capacity or dieback. In turn, changes in the structure of the Amazon and its associated water cycle will have implications for the many endemic species it contains and result in changes at a continental scale. Clearly, with much at stake, if climate-induced damage alters the state of the Amazon ecosystem, there is a need to better understand its risk, process, and dynamics. The objective of this study is to assist in understanding the risk, process, and dynamics of potential Amazon dieback and its implications
Bibliography Includes bibliographical references (pages 89-95)
Subject Forest microclimatology -- Amazon River Region -- Computer simulation
Climatic changes -- Amazon River Region -- Forecasting -- Computer simulation
Forest biomass -- Carbon content -- Amazon River Region -- Computer simulation
Rain forest plants -- Climatic factors -- Amazon River Region -- Computer simulation
Deforestation -- Amazon River Region -- Computer simulation
NATURE -- Natural Resources.
BUSINESS & ECONOMICS -- Environmental Economics.
BUSINESS & ECONOMICS -- Green Business.
Amazon River Region
Form Electronic book
Author Scholz, Sebastian M.
LC no. 2010039311
ISBN 9780821386217
0821386212
9780821386224
0821386220