Jan Wesner Child of The Weather Channel writes, "The Amazon Is Likely Emitting More Greenhouse Gases Than It Absorbs, New Study Says."
Scientists have predicted for years that at some point the Amazon rainforest, known as "the lungs of the planet," would be overcome in its ability to scrub carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and could even emit more greenhouse gases than it absorbs.
Now, a new study says, it's probably already happened.
The research, published Thursday in the journal Frontiers in Forests and Global Change, looked at several factors at play in the Amazon, including fires, deforestation, weather and the expansion of ranching. It concludes that greenhouse gases including methane and nitrous oxide being emitted in the Amazon basin offset and most likely exceed the region's ability to soak up carbon dioxide. > Read More
