Why Did the Amazon Become a Carbon Source in 2023?

Why did the Amazon become a carbon source in 2023?

What flipped the Amazon's carbon balance in 2023 In 2023 the Amazon, long regarded as a major carbon sink, emitted more carbon than it absorbed. Satellite and climate‑model analyses attribute that reversal primarily to an extreme regional drought and anomalously high temperatures. During that year…

The Amazon flipped to a net carbon source in 2023 releasing up to 170 million tons of CO2 as extreme heat—1.5°C above the 1991–2020 average—and drought weakened vegetation uptake more than fire activity according to new Max Planck Institute research.