Rising temperatures could cause irreversible damage to Amazon trees

Brazil’s Amazon basin is experiencing its worst drought on record, profoundly affecting residents of cities large and small, local and national industry and commerce, and, of course, the environment. Plants and animals are suffering from the severe dry spell, which has left important and iconic rivers in the region at historically low levels.

Experts point out that the causes of this drought include forest fires in the Amazon caused by cattle ranchers and gold miners, the El Niño weather phenomenon, which affects the region’s rainfall patterns, and global warming, which is responsible for the systematic rise in temperatures. In August, Manaus experienced its hottest day in 30 years.

The potential effects of global warming and climate change in general are well known. A study published in the journal Nature by an international group of researchers shows that rising temperatures can affect the leaves of trees in the Amazon.

The goal of the research is to understand the response patterns of tropical forests to rising air temperatures. According to Humberto Ribeiro da Rocha, a participant in the study and a professor at the Institute of Astronomy, Geophysics, and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of São Paulo (USP), the study analyzed the...