Pronounced loss of Amazon rainforest resilience since the early 2000s

Boulton, Chris A.; Lenton, Timothy M.; Boers, Niklas

doi:10.1038/s41558-022-01287-8

Cited by 273 publications

(247 citation statements)

References 57 publications

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“…Recent work focused on the Amazon shows an overall pronounced increase in AR(1) of VOD (decline in resilience) since the early 2000s [23]. AR (1) of NDVI shows a less consistent signal (figure 2b), but has also increased [23]. Observed increases in AR(1) of VOD (and NDVI) are generally greater in drier parts of the Amazon and closer to human settlements and roads [23].…”

Section: (C) Biomes-ecoregionsmentioning

confidence: 92%

“…Within tropical forests biomes, AR(1) of NDVI and VOD both show a general decrease in resilience as MAP drops below approximately 2000 mm yr −1 [19]. Recent work focused on the Amazon shows an overall pronounced increase in AR(1) of VOD (decline in resilience) since the early 2000s [23]. AR (1) of NDVI shows a less consistent signal (figure 2b), but has also increased [23].…”

Section: (C) Biomes-ecoregionsmentioning

confidence: 92%

“…Most published attempts to monitor resilience (table 1) focus on NDVI, with some using EVI, modelled GPP or LAI (table 1). A couple of studies use VOD as a proxy for tropical forest biomass [19,23] which better captures changes in forest cover than NDVI [23]. However, in general, there needs to be greater consideration of which indexes are appropriate for monitoring resilience of the vegetation in question.…”

Section: Remotely Sensing Resiliencementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Tropical forest biomes show mixed trends in AR(1) of NDVI (figure 2b), but typically have a low mean AR(1) (figure 2a). Instead, VOD can provide a better proxy for fluctuations in aboveground biomass [23]. Within tropical forests biomes, AR(1) of NDVI and VOD both show a general decrease in resilience as MAP drops below approximately 2000 mm yr −1 [19].…”

Section: (C) Biomes-ecoregionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A resilience sensing system for the biosphere

Lenton

Buxton

McKay

et al. 2022

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

Self Cite

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We are in a climate and ecological emergency, where climate change and direct anthropogenic interference with the biosphere are risking abrupt and/or irreversible changes that threaten our life-support systems. Efforts are underway to increase the resilience of some ecosystems that are under threat, yet collective awareness and action are modest at best. Here, we highlight the potential for a biosphere resilience sensing system to make it easier to see where things are going wrong, and to see whether deliberate efforts to make things better are working. We focus on global resilience sensing of the terrestrial biosphere at high spatial and temporal resolution through satellite remote sensing, utilizing the generic mathematical behaviour of complex systems—loss of resilience corresponds to slower recovery from perturbations, gain of resilience equates to faster recovery. We consider what subset of biosphere resilience remote sensing can monitor, critically reviewing existing studies. Then we present illustrative, global results for vegetation resilience and trends in resilience over the last 20 years, from both satellite data and model simulations. We close by discussing how resilience sensing nested across global, biome-ecoregion, and local ecosystem scales could aid management and governance at these different scales, and identify priorities for further work. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Ecological complexity and the biosphere: the next 30 years’.

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Section: (C) Biomes-ecoregionsmentioning

confidence: 92%

Section: (C) Biomes-ecoregionsmentioning

confidence: 92%

Section: Remotely Sensing Resiliencementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: (C) Biomes-ecoregionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A resilience sensing system for the biosphere

Lenton

Buxton

McKay

et al. 2022

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

Self Cite

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“…Conversely, in a drier atmosphere with less rainfall, the control of moisture convergence by transpiration is limited and the forest is more vulnerable to external perturbations. This could explain why the Amazon forest appears to be losing resilience mostly in the regions where the rainfall is already relatively low (rather than where rainfall is decreasing) (Boulton et al, 2022).…”

Section: The Role Of Natural Forests Native Vegetation and Ecological...mentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of ecosystem transpiration in creating alternate moisture regimes by influencing atmospheric moisture convergence

Makarieva¹,

Nefiodov²,

Nobre³

et al. 2022

Preprint

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The terrestrial water cycle links the soil and atmosphere moisture reservoirs through four fluxes: precipitation, evaporation, runoff, and atmospheric moisture convergence (net import of water vapor to balance runoff). Each of these processes is essential for human and ecosystem well-being. Predicting how the water cycle responds to changes in vegetation cover remains a challenge. Recently, changes in plant transpiration across the Amazon basin were shown to be associated exponentially with changes in rainfall, suggesting that even small declines in transpiration (e.g., from deforestation) would lead to much larger declines in rainfall. Here, constraining these findings by the law of mass conservation, we show that in a sufficiently wet atmosphere, forest transpiration can control atmospheric moisture convergence such that increased transpiration enhances atmospheric moisture import and resulting water yield. Conversely, in a sufficiently dry atmosphere increased transpiration reduces atmospheric moisture convergence and water yield. This previously unrecognized dichotomy explains the otherwise mixed observations of how water yield responds to re-greening, as we illustrate with examples from China's Loess Plateau.Our analysis indicates that any additional moisture recycling due to additional vegetation increases precipitation but decreases local water yield and steady-state runoff. Therefore, in the drier regions/periods and early stages of ecological restoration, the role of vegetation can be confined to moisture recycling, while once a wetter stage is achieved, additional vegetation enhances atmospheric moisture convergence. Evaluating the transition between regimes, and recognizing the potential of vegetation for enhancing moisture convergence, are crucial for characterizing the consequences of deforestation as well as for motivating and guiding ecological restoration.

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Detergenschemie beeinflusst die Überschreitung planetarer Grenzen einschließlich antimikrobieller Resistenz und Arzneimittelentwicklung

Seewald,

Nielinger,

Alker

et al. 2024

Angewandte Chemie

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Detergent chemistry enables applications in the world today while harming safe operating spaces that humanity needs for survival. Aim of this review is to support a holistic thought process in the design of detergent chemistry. We harness the planetary boundary concept as a framework for literature survey to identify progresses and knowledge gaps in context with detergent chemistry and five planetary boundaries that are currently transgressed, i.e., climate, freshwater, land system, novel entities, biosphere integrity. Our survey unveils the status of three critical challenges to be addressed in the years to come, including (i) the implementation of a holistically, climate‐friendly detergent industry; (ii) the alignment of materialistic and social aspects in creating technical solutions by means of sustainable chemistry; (iii) the development of detergents that serve the purpose of applications but do not harm the biosphere in their role as novel entities. Specifically, medically relevant case reports revealed that even the most sophisticated detergent design cannot sufficiently accelerate drug discovery to outperform the antibiotic resistance development that detergents simultaneously promote as novel entities. Safe operating spaces that humanity needs for its survival may be secured by directing future efforts beyond sustainable chemistry, resource efficiency, and net zero emission targets.

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Pronounced loss of Amazon rainforest resilience since the early 2000s

Cited by 273 publications

References 57 publications

A resilience sensing system for the biosphere

A resilience sensing system for the biosphere

The role of ecosystem transpiration in creating alternate moisture regimes by influencing atmospheric moisture convergence

Detergenschemie beeinflusst die Überschreitung planetarer Grenzen einschließlich antimikrobieller Resistenz und Arzneimittelentwicklung

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