Conservation: Drought in the Amazon increases the release of carbon into the atmosphere, according to research published today in Nature.
The Amazon plays a key role in the Earths climate system, thanks to the extent of its forests, which represent half of all the planets tropical rainforests. When healthy, its trees absorb CO2 through photosynthesis and store it in their wood.
Because the net result is a reduction in atmospheric carbon, rainforests such as the Amazon are known as carbon sinks. But when...