If the current situation continues, the entire rainforest in the Amazon basin will be replaced by Savannah
A rainforest that covers more than 4 million square kilometers, mostly unknown and unexplored, the Amazon basin where the forest grows contains about a fifth of the fresh water in the world and about 30% of the biological species (plants and animals).
For a long time we have been aware of the danger to the Amazon forests, a danger arising from felling at a rate greater than the forest's ability to regenerate, in order to prevent damage to the forest, the countries of the Amazon basin (mainly Brazil) establish regulations to protect the forest, regulations whose enforcement is loose and lax. Recently, the Brazilian authorities announced the establishment of a reserve where enforcement and protection measures will be implemented, the establishment of the reserve and its maintenance may help preserve the forest, perhaps. …. Because a new study foresees a possibility in which the forest in the Amazon basin will be replaced by grass plains (savanna).
José Antonio Margano is a meteorologist at Brazil's National Space Research Institute who studies the impact of climate change. The study has been conducted for two years and although there are no final summaries yet, there are predictions.
According to his forecast: due to global warming, the amount of rainfall in the Amazon basin will decrease, a decrease that will cause the gradual disappearance of the Amazon rainforest.
According to Margano, there are two options, the more difficult option: if nothing is done to stop global warming, in such a case the average temperature will rise by 5 to 8 degrees (until 2100), such an increase will cause a 15% to 20% decrease in the amount of rainfall! Such a change in the amount of rains will lead to a complete collapse of the forest and the development of grasslands in most areas.
The second (desirable and correct) option is the least worst case: if governments (and industrial entities) act firmly and effectively to stop and prevent warming, if so the average temperature will rise "only" by 3 to 5 degrees, in such a situation the amount of rainfall will "only" decrease by 5% Up to 10%, an amount that will still allow expanding parts of the forest to continue to exist. Of course, this is on the condition that the wild logging stops!
20% of the Amazon rain forest has already been destroyed, if the forest burning does not stop (the "contributor" 5% = 370 million tons - greenhouse gas emissions), if the cutting does not stop, but above all if the global warming does not stop, by 2100 there will be no forest.
Asaf
3 תגובות
Indeed, the warming causes more water in the system, but the geographical distribution of the rains, their frequency and intensity is moving in negative directions.
post Scriptum.
Avi: A mistake in the name of the "author"
Why will global warming cause less rain? After all, more water will evaporate and therefore more rain will fall!
What is wrong with this simple consideration?