Amazon forests have experienced frequent and severe droughts in the past two decades. However, little is known about the large-scale legacy of droughts on carbon stocks and dynamics of forests. Using systematic sampling of forest structure measured by LiDAR waveforms from 2003 to 2008, here we show a significant loss of carbon over the entire Amazon basin at a rate of 0.3 ± 0.2 (95% CI) PgC yr−1 after the 2005 mega-drought, which continued persistently over the next 3 years (2005–2008). The changes in forest structure, captured by average LiDAR forest height and converted to above ground biomass carbon density, show an average loss of 2.35 ± 1.80 MgC ha−1 a year after (2006) in the epicenter of the drought. With more frequent droughts expected in future, forests of Amazon may lose their role as a robust sink of carbon, leading to a significant positive climate feedback and exacerbating warming trends.
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机译：在过去的二十年中，亚马逊森林经历了频繁而严重的干旱。然而，人们对干旱对碳储量和森林动态的大规模遗留知之甚少。使用2003年至2008年通过LiDAR波形测量的森林结构的系统采样，我们显示整个亚马逊河流域的碳损失显着，速率为0.3±0.2（95％CI）PgC yr -1 2005年特大干旱之后，在接下来的3年（2005-2008年）持续持续。在2006年震中的一年后，LiDAR的平均森林高度所捕获并转换为地上生物量碳密度的森林结构变化显示，其平均损失为2.35±1.80MgC ha -1 。干旱。预计未来干旱会更加频繁，亚马逊森林可能会失去其作为强大碳汇的作用，从而导致大量积极的气候反馈并加剧变暖趋势。
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