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Amazonian forest ‘more resilient’
"Some of the models, in particular the Hadley Centre group, became famous for predicting collapse of the Amazon and a change into savannah.
And what we saw was that there was more photosynthesis going on, more capacity to take up carbon dioxide than in an average year"
And what we saw was that there was more photosynthesis going on, more capacity to take up carbon dioxide than in an average year"
- study leader Scott Saleska
The Amazon rainforest may be more resistant to rising temperatures than has been believed. Researchers found that during the 2005 drought, many parts of the rainforest "greened", apparently growing faster.
This finding contrasts with some computer models of climate change, which forecast that the Amazon would dry out and become savannah.
Writing in the journal Science, the researchers say it is unclear how the forest would respond to a long drought.
"We measured the changes between the drought (of July to September 2005) and an average year," explained study leader Scott Saleska from the University of Arizona, Tucson, US.