Vertical forest dynamics: the influence of windthrows and extreme weather events on Southern Amazon canopy height

Publikation: Beitrag in Fachzeitschrift › Forschungsartikel › Beigetragen › Begutachtung

Beitragende

  • Eduardo Q. Marques - , Universidade do Estado de Mato Grosso, Instituto de Pesquisa Ambiental da Amazônia (Autor:in)
  • Divino V. Silvério - , Universidade do Estado de Mato Grosso (Autor:in)
  • Andreia F.S. Ribeiro - , ETH Zürich, Julius Kühn Institute - Bundesforschungsinstitut für Kulturpflanzen (Autor:in)
  • Jakob Zscheischler - , Helmholtz-Zentrum für Umweltforschung (UFZ) (Autor:in)
  • Sonia I. Seneviratne - , Julius Kühn Institute - Bundesforschungsinstitut für Kulturpflanzen (Autor:in)
  • Daniel D. Marra - , Woodwell Climate Research Center (Autor:in)
  • Bianca F. Rebelatto - , Instituto de Pesquisa Ambiental da Amazônia (Autor:in)
  • Ludmila Rattis - , Instituto de Pesquisa Ambiental da Amazônia, Yale University (Autor:in)
  • Paulo M. Brando - , Instituto de Pesquisa Ambiental da Amazônia (Autor:in)

Abstract

In South America, the intensity and frequency of forest disturbances are increasing. Windstorms, an important disturbance mechanism, have the potential to exacerbate the damage caused by drought, fire, and deforestation in tropical forests. In this study, we investigated the impact of windthrow events on the vertical structure of degraded forests in southern Amazonia and hypothesized the additional impact of concurrent wind and precipitation extremes from the local to the regional scale. The frequency of windthrows influenced the vegetation height of the Amazon forests (R2 = 0.20), and the concurrency with precipitation is more prevalent where extreme wind is the predominant effect. Compound extreme wind and precipitation events are most likely to occur within five days of each other (84%) and up to 1.75° apart in space, and regions at higher elevations experience more frequent extreme winds (R2 = 0.67), with potential to affect vegetation height. This understanding, supported by field data and remote sensing, enhances our knowledge of the meteorological conditions behind tropical storms with windthrows and their effects on the structural and diversity. Given the exacerbation of climate extremes due to climate change, integrating field and remote sensing data is vital for comprehending regional climate patterns and their implications for the resilience of Amazonian forests.

Details

OriginalspracheEnglisch
Aufsatznummer125010
FachzeitschriftEnvironmental Research Communications
Jahrgang7
Ausgabenummer12
PublikationsstatusVeröffentlicht - 1 Dez. 2025
Peer-Review-StatusJa
Extern publiziertJa

Externe IDs

ORCID /0000-0001-6045-1629/work/226837856

Schlagworte

Ziele für nachhaltige Entwicklung

ASJC Scopus Sachgebiete

Schlagwörter

  • amazon forests, convective storms, ERA5, GEDI, remote sensing, wind gust