Research Highlights - Amazon Drought

Severe drought has swept across the Amazon basin in recent years, with unknown impacts on the forest flora and fauna, and on the long-term health of the forest. Satellite-based studies have proven inconclusive, leading to much debate about how the Amazon is changing over time.

Using the CAO AToMS system, Carnegie scientists have for the first time made direct measurements of the impact of the 2010 Amazon mega-drought. The CAO hyperspectral and LiDAR measurements cover more than 60 million hectares of Amazon forest, and provide detailed ecological information down to leaf and branch level resolution over time.

The results are being rolled out in a series of presentations and written communications to the science, conservation and policy development communities. Examples include:

Scientific American Magazine
CC TV
Science Magazine