Impacts of Protected Area Deforestation on Dry-Season Regional Climate in the Brazilian Amazon

Fernando De Sales; Thais Santiago; Trent Wade Biggs; Katrina Mullan; Erin O. Sills; Corrie Monteverde

doi:10.1029/2020JD033048

Impacts of Protected Area Deforestation on Dry-Season Regional Climate in the Brazilian Amazon

Fernando De Sales
, Thais Santiago
, Trent Wade Biggs
, Katrina Mullan
, Erin O. Sills
, Corrie Monteverde

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

28 Scopus citations

Abstract

Rainforest in protected areas in the Brazilian Amazon is at risk due to increasing economic pressures and recent weakening of environmental agencies and legislation by the federal administration. This study examines the impacts of deforestation in protected areas on dry-season precipitation in the Brazilian state of Rondônia located in the southwestern Brazilian Amazon. Regional-climate model simulations indicate that clearing protected forests in Rondônia would result in substantial changes to the surface energy balance, including increased sensible and decreased latent heat flux. Consequent changes to low-level wind circulation would enhance moisture flux convergence and convection over the newly deforested areas, leading to enhanced rainfall in those areas. However, deforestation of protected areas would decrease dry season rainfall up to 30% in the existing agricultural region, with potentially important negative impacts on agricultural production. Additionally, our results indicates that following deforestation, the newly degraded areas will experience warmer and drier afternoons that could place the remaining natural vegetation under vapor deficit stress.

Original language	English
Article number	e2020JD033048
Journal	Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres
Volume	125
Issue number	16
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1029/2020JD033048
State	Published - Aug 27 2020

Funding

This manuscript is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant BCS‐1825046. The authors would like to acknowledge high‐performance computing support from Cheyenne (doi: 10.5065/D6RX99HX ) provided by NCAR's Computational and Information Systems Laboratory, sponsored by the National Science Foundation. Additional computing support was provided by the San Diego State University's Center for Earth Systems Analysis Research.

Funder number
1633831, BCS‐1825046

Keywords

deforestation of Amazon protected areas
land use land cover changes in Amazonia
role of protected forest areas on the regional climate of Rondonia

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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10.1029/2020JD033048

Cite this

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title = "Impacts of Protected Area Deforestation on Dry-Season Regional Climate in the Brazilian Amazon",

abstract = "Rainforest in protected areas in the Brazilian Amazon is at risk due to increasing economic pressures and recent weakening of environmental agencies and legislation by the federal administration. This study examines the impacts of deforestation in protected areas on dry-season precipitation in the Brazilian state of Rond{\^o}nia located in the southwestern Brazilian Amazon. Regional-climate model simulations indicate that clearing protected forests in Rond{\^o}nia would result in substantial changes to the surface energy balance, including increased sensible and decreased latent heat flux. Consequent changes to low-level wind circulation would enhance moisture flux convergence and convection over the newly deforested areas, leading to enhanced rainfall in those areas. However, deforestation of protected areas would decrease dry season rainfall up to 30\% in the existing agricultural region, with potentially important negative impacts on agricultural production. Additionally, our results indicates that following deforestation, the newly degraded areas will experience warmer and drier afternoons that could place the remaining natural vegetation under vapor deficit stress.",

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author = "\{De Sales\}, Fernando and Thais Santiago and Biggs, \{Trent Wade\} and Katrina Mullan and Sills, \{Erin O.\} and Corrie Monteverde",

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doi = "10.1029/2020JD033048",

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T1 - Impacts of Protected Area Deforestation on Dry-Season Regional Climate in the Brazilian Amazon

AU - De Sales, Fernando

AU - Santiago, Thais

AU - Biggs, Trent Wade

AU - Mullan, Katrina

AU - Sills, Erin O.

AU - Monteverde, Corrie

PY - 2020/8/27

Y1 - 2020/8/27

N2 - Rainforest in protected areas in the Brazilian Amazon is at risk due to increasing economic pressures and recent weakening of environmental agencies and legislation by the federal administration. This study examines the impacts of deforestation in protected areas on dry-season precipitation in the Brazilian state of Rondônia located in the southwestern Brazilian Amazon. Regional-climate model simulations indicate that clearing protected forests in Rondônia would result in substantial changes to the surface energy balance, including increased sensible and decreased latent heat flux. Consequent changes to low-level wind circulation would enhance moisture flux convergence and convection over the newly deforested areas, leading to enhanced rainfall in those areas. However, deforestation of protected areas would decrease dry season rainfall up to 30% in the existing agricultural region, with potentially important negative impacts on agricultural production. Additionally, our results indicates that following deforestation, the newly degraded areas will experience warmer and drier afternoons that could place the remaining natural vegetation under vapor deficit stress.

AB - Rainforest in protected areas in the Brazilian Amazon is at risk due to increasing economic pressures and recent weakening of environmental agencies and legislation by the federal administration. This study examines the impacts of deforestation in protected areas on dry-season precipitation in the Brazilian state of Rondônia located in the southwestern Brazilian Amazon. Regional-climate model simulations indicate that clearing protected forests in Rondônia would result in substantial changes to the surface energy balance, including increased sensible and decreased latent heat flux. Consequent changes to low-level wind circulation would enhance moisture flux convergence and convection over the newly deforested areas, leading to enhanced rainfall in those areas. However, deforestation of protected areas would decrease dry season rainfall up to 30% in the existing agricultural region, with potentially important negative impacts on agricultural production. Additionally, our results indicates that following deforestation, the newly degraded areas will experience warmer and drier afternoons that could place the remaining natural vegetation under vapor deficit stress.

KW - deforestation of Amazon protected areas

KW - land use land cover changes in Amazonia

KW - role of protected forest areas on the regional climate of Rondonia

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DO - 10.1029/2020JD033048

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SN - 2169-897X

VL - 125

JO - Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres

JF - Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres

IS - 16

M1 - e2020JD033048

ER -

Impacts of Protected Area Deforestation on Dry-Season Regional Climate in the Brazilian Amazon

Abstract

Funding

Keywords

UN SDGs

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