Dieback of the Amazon rainforest has long been touted as a possible climate tipping point, even though only a small minority of Earth System Models were projecting dieback.
A new study by researchers at the University of Exeter shows that this situation has now changed. Among the latest Earth System Models which simulate changes in forest carbon, most models now produce dieback events due to climate change in Amazonia.
Previous studies had suggested that once the tipping point is crossed in the Amazon, the whole region would experience severe dieback, but the new study – published in the journal Earth System Dynamics – finds that many of the latest models instead project localised dieback events.
The research team, from the University of Exeter, say that while we may not be at severe risk of losing the entirety of the Amazon rainforest due to climate change alone, localised dieback would still have severe consequences for the local communities and ecosystems.
Read more at University of Exeter
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