Weather & Science
This is What Happens to Rainforests When There’s Not Enough Rain
Less moisture in the soil reduces tree diversity — and resilience — in rainforests, according to a new study.
A boat speeds on the Jurura river in the Brazilian Amazon Forest.
Photographer: Florence Goisnard/AFP/Getty Images
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A decline in rainfall caused by climate change could endanger the planet’s rainforests by reducing soil moisture that’s essential to maintaining their biodiversity and resilience, according to a new study published in Nature.
Rainforests help to cool the Earth by absorbing planet-warming carbon dioxide and producing oxygen, but both the extent of tree cover and the diversity of plant and animal life they can sustain is falling due to deforestation.