New research by the Monitoring of the Andean Amazon Project (MAAP), part of Amazon Conservation, warns that continued deforestation is disrupting the Amazon’s “flying rivers”.

• The study highlights how forest loss is not only an ecological crisis but also a hydrological one, altering the continent’s climate balance.

About “Flying Rivers”

• Definition: “Flying rivers” are airborne moisture streams formed when trees in the Amazon rainforest release water vapour through evapotranspiration.
• This vapour joins atmospheric currents, creating aerial rivers of humidity that travel westward across South America, bringing rainfall to the Andes, central Brazil, and even Argentina.
• Role in Climate Regulation:
• • Trees recycle about half of the Amazon’s rainfall through evapotranspiration.
  • These atmospheric moisture flows maintain regional rainfall patterns, agriculture, and river systems.
• Origin of the Term: Coined by Brazilian climate scientist Carlos Nobre in 2006, to describe the invisible rivers of vapor sustaining the Amazon ecosystem.
• Thus, the Amazon functions as a vast biotic pump — releasing and redistributing moisture that sustains much of South America’s rainfall.

Findings of the MAAP Analysis

• Tree Loss Impact: Continuous deforestation has broken the forest’s hydrological “pump”, reducing westward moisture flow.
• Visible Impacts:
  • Peru: Crop failures and droughts have withered harvests.
  • Ecuador: Hydroelectric dams are struggling as river levels fall.
  • Brazil: Extensive forest fires and prolonged dry spells.
• Scientific Concern:
  • Tree loss reduces the region’s ability to “pump” moisture into the atmosphere, weakening the flying river system that sustains the rainforest itself.
  • This feedback loop risks pushing the Amazon towards an ecological tipping point — a savannization process marked by irreversible drying and biodiversity loss.

Global Implications

• Hydrological Crisis:
  • Declining rainfall threatens agriculture, hydropower, and drinking water supplies across South America.
  • Weak “flying rivers” reduce water availability in Ecuador, Peru, and southern Brazil, intensifying energy and food insecurity.
• Carbon and Climate Feedback:
  • Fewer trees mean less carbon sequestration, while droughts and fires release stored carbon — converting the Amazon from a carbon sink to a carbon source.
  • Loss of the rainforest’s cooling effect may accelerate regional warming and disrupt global climate circulation patterns.
• Ecological and Biodiversity Risks:
  • Conversion to savanna will drastically reduce biodiversity, impacting thousands of endemic species.
  • The collapse of the rainforest ecosystem would undermine its role as a global oxygen producer and carbon regulator.

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