Amazon carbon emissions driven by human actions amplified by droughts.

Amazonian carbon emissions from human activities and climate stress reached 0.49 ± 0.07 PgC yr-1 during warm, dry years, surpassing emissions in wetter years.

• Why it matters: Understanding the drivers of Amazon carbon fluxes is crucial because forest loss and climate change weaken the forest's role as a carbon sink, impacting global climate regulation.
• What they did: The study analyzed 15 years of atmospheric CO2 measurements to quantify Amazonian carbon fluxes, identifying three distinct year groups linked to different levels of climate and human activity.
• The result: Findings suggest that during warm, dry years, carbon emissions are highest, highlighting the amplifying effect of droughts and human actions on regional carbon release, which may hinder the forest's carbon uptake capacity.