Science frontiers view the world, learn Minglidong world
As we all know, climate change has had a profound and severe impact on our lives, such as rising sea levels, extreme heat waves and the increase in extreme weather. In early March, a study published in " Frontiers in Forests and Global Change " warned that Amazon rainforest is under unprecedented pressure. Severe climate change and man-made destruction have brought it close to ecological collapse. The critical point. And the impact of the collapse of the world's largest rainforest will be transmitted to the climate crisis, triggering concerns about the future survival of mankind, This is much worse than we expected!
This study is the most comprehensive assessment of the impact of the Amazon basin on the global climate. It calculates all greenhouse gases entering the atmosphere from and assesses the impact of human activities on this A direct impact of the largest carbon sink on the planet. Studies have found that with the occurrence of doomsday-like forest fires, extreme droughts and large-scale land reclamation, the amount of greenhouse gases (mainly carbon dioxide) released by the Amazon rainforest has exceeded the equivalent heat stored in local plants and soil!
For this reason, more than 30 scientists warned that this means that the Amazon rainforest has transformed from a carbon sink to a carbon source ! may not have the effect of cooling down, but has started to accelerate the warming of the earth .This result is much worse than we expected, and it also means that Amazon's darkest moment has arrived. Related to it may be the unknown destiny of mankind.
In the Amazon River Basin, carbon dioxide emissions from are mainly driven by forest degradation. Such a huge carbon source will make the carbon dioxide content of the earth’s atmosphere reach the expected level in 2035.
In other words, we can no longer count on the rainforest to help us offset the excess carbon dioxide emissions generated by human activities. The Amazon rainforest is accelerating to "wasting" the remaining global carbon budget-of course, this is entirely our own To blame. Researchers are also worried that as illegal rainforest deforestation increases, the area is rapidly approaching the edge of a catastrophic "tipping point" and may become a drier ecosystem at any time.
Carbon dioxide is not the only factor that affects the earth's climate. The other two important substances that cause global warming are nitrous oxide (N2O) and methane (CH4). The existence of these two gases in the atmosphere is not as long as CO2, but the intensity of the greenhouse effect they cause is amazing-each N2O molecule captures 300 times the heat of CO2!
In the past two years, both methane and nitrous oxide emissions in the Amazon have increased significantly. Now these “new” greenhouse gases that have received little attention are accelerating the push of Amazon to the brink of collapse. The picture below shows the circulation of various greenhouse gases in the Amazon River Basin.
Prolonged drought will reduce the capacity of the Amazon to absorb carbon dioxide and increase the possibility of large-scale fires. A record fire in the Amazon region in 2019 has attracted global attention. The flames turned trees into soot and ashes, absorbed more sunlight, and accelerated the rise in atmospheric temperature.
Considering the scale of the Amazon basin,Even if the amount of greenhouse gases absorbed or released by forests (and their soils rich in microorganisms) seems to change very little, they add up to an astronomical number, causing drastic changes in the entire ecosystem of .
In Brazil alone, the amount of man-made deforestation has increased by 60% since 2012, and thousands of square kilometers of forest have been cut down for mining and agricultural development every year. In addition, the construction of dams, seasonal floods, storms, and the rise of animal husbandry are constantly changing the local environment, causing the collapse of the Amazon rainforest.
The lungs of the earth is undergoing unprecedented destruction. At this moment, protecting Amazon is more urgent than ever!
Editor/Zhu Zhang Hangyu
Source of information: Frontiers in Forests and Global Change.
.
