Title: Drought Does
Long-term Damage to Rainforest
Author: Tom Marshall
Publication: Planet
Earth Online
Date: 6th February 2013
This article speaks
about the reoccurring droughts in the Amazon rainforest and its effects on the
biodiversity. Each drought has an immense effect long after the rains have
returned. The droughts occurred in 1997/1998, then in 2005 and once again in
2010. Satellite data shows that the drought that hit in 2005 caused major changes
in the forest that have not been recovered by the time of the most recent
drought in 2010. This evidently caused even more damage to the forest canopy. A
great number of trees have already died out and scientists predict that this
danger is leading to a cumulative decrease in trees in the area.
Scientists predict that
droughts will occur every 5 years and this is not enough time for the organisms
to recover from the previous droughts. The danger in this happening is that
once the trees starting falling, this will create gaps in the forest, allowing
light and air in to dry out the interior and further create damage. The area
will be more flammable and fires could easily be started. The forest would not
be a “rain forest” anymore, but simple a scrub.
The specie that has the biggest
risk of becoming extinct are the very tallest trees that tower above the
rainforest canopy. These are most exposed to the sun and hard winds. Their
height makes it far too hard for them to reach water all the way to their top.
These bigger trees are greatly affected and they begin dying off three years
post the drought.
What could humans do to
help? How can we protect the trees from dying out and making gaps in the canopy
creating a bigger possibility of fires occurring?
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