Luiz E. O. C. Aragão
A5066469558- Conservation, Biodiversity, and Resource Management
- Remote Sensing in Agriculture
- Forest ecology and management
- Fire effects on ecosystems
- Plant Water Relations and Carbon Dynamics
- Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies
- Atmospheric and Environmental Gas Dynamics
- Land Use and Ecosystem Services
- Remote Sensing and LiDAR Applications
- Environmental and biological studies
- Species Distribution and Climate Change
- Forest Management and Policy
- Geography and Environmental Studies
- Economic and Environmental Valuation
- Climate variability and models
- Amazonian Archaeology and Ethnohistory
- Plant and animal studies
- Atmospheric chemistry and aerosols
- Geochemistry and Geologic Mapping
- African Botany and Ecology Studies
- Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics
- Soil Management and Crop Yield
- Energy and Environment Impacts
- Tree-ring climate responses
- Leaf Properties and Growth Measurement
University of Exeter
2016-2025
National Institute for Space Research
2016-2025
CMCC Foundation - Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change
2024
Unichristus
2024
University of Florida
2021
Universidade de Brasília
2021
Institute of Forest Ecology of the Slovak Academy of Sciences
2021
Ecological Society of America
2020
University of Kansas
2018
Universidade de São Paulo
2018
Abstract. Accurate assessment of anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and their redistribution among the atmosphere, ocean, terrestrial biosphere in a changing climate – “global budget” is important to better understand global cycle, support development policies, project future change. Here we describe synthesize data sets methodology quantify five major components budget uncertainties. Fossil CO2 (EFOS) are based on energy statistics cement production data, while from land-use...
Amazon forests are a key but poorly understood component of the global carbon cycle. If, as anticipated, they dry this century, might accelerate climate change through losses and changed surface energy balances. We used records from multiple long-term monitoring plots across Amazonia to assess forest responses intense 2005 drought, possible analog future events. Affected lost biomass, reversing large sink, with greatest impacts observed where season was unusually intense. Relative pre-2005...
Abstract Terrestrial ecosystems sequester 2.1 Pg of atmospheric carbon annually. A large amount the terrestrial sink is realized by forests. However, considerable uncertainties remain regarding fate this over both short and long timescales. Relevant data to address these are being collected at many sites around world, but syntheses still sparse. To facilitate future synthesis activities, we have assembled a comprehensive global database for forest ecosystems, which includes budget variables...
We examine the evidence for possibility that 21st-century climate change may cause a large-scale "dieback" or degradation of Amazonian rainforest. employ new framework evaluating rainfall regime tropical forests and from this deduce precipitation-based boundaries current forest viability. then simulations by 19 global models (GCMs) in context find most tend to underestimate rainfall. GCMs also vary greatly their projections future Amazonia. attempt take into account differences between...
Tropical carbon emissions are largely derived from direct forest clearing processes. Yet, drought-induced fires are, usually, not included in national-level emission inventories. Here we examine Brazilian Amazon drought impacts on fire incidence and associated over the period 2003-2015. We show that despite a 76% decline deforestation rates past 13 years, increased by 36% during 2015 compared to preceding 12 years. The had largest ever ratio of active counts deforestation, with occurring an...
Featured paper: See Editorial p553
There has been an increasing awareness of the possibility climate change causing increased drought frequency in Amazonia, with ensuing impacts on ecosystems and human populations. This debate brought into focus by 1997/1998 2005 Amazonian droughts. We analysed spatial extent these droughts fire response to TRMM NOAA‐12 data, respectively. Both had distinct fingerprints. The was characterized its intensification throughout dry season south‐western Amazonia. During annual cumulative number hot...
Abstract. Aboveground tropical tree biomass and carbon storage estimates commonly ignore height (H). We estimate the effect of incorporating H on tropics-wide forest in 327 plots across four continents using 42 656 diameter measurements harvested trees from 20 sites to answer following questions: 1. What is best H-model form geographic unit include models minimise site-level uncertainty destructive biomass? 2. To what extent does including derived (1) reduce all plots? 3. accounting for have...
Recent Amazonian droughts have drawn attention to the vulnerability of tropical forests climate perturbations. Satellite and in situ observations shown an increase fire occurrence during drought years tree mortality following severe droughts, but date there has been no assessment long-term impacts these across landscapes Amazonia. Here, we use satellite microwave rainfall canopy backscatter show that more than 70 million hectares forest western Amazonia experienced a strong water deficit dry...
Tropical rainforests store enormous amounts of carbon, the protection which represents a vital component efforts to mitigate global climate change. Currently, tropical forest conservation, science, policies, and mitigation actions focus predominantly on reducing carbon emissions from deforestation alone. However, every year vast areas humid tropics are disturbed by selective logging, understory fires, habitat fragmentation. There is an urgent need understand effect such disturbances stocks,...
Abstract The net primary productivity, carbon (C) stocks and turnover rates (i.e. C dynamics) of tropical forests are an important aspect the global cycle. These variables have been investigated in lowland forests, but they rarely studied montane (TMFs). This study examines spatial patterns above‐ belowground dynamics along a transect ranging from Amazonia to high Andes SE Peru. Fine root biomass values increased 1.50 Mg ha −1 at 194 m 4.95 ± 0.62 3020 m, reaching maximum 6.83 1.13 2020...
Abstract Most of the planet's diversity is concentrated in tropics, which includes many regions undergoing rapid climate change. Yet, while climate‐induced biodiversity changes are widely documented elsewhere, few studies have addressed this issue for lowland tropical ecosystems. Here we investigate whether floristic and functional composition intact Amazonian forests been changing by evaluating records from 106 long‐term inventory plots spanning 30 years. We analyse three traits that...
Understanding the interplay between climate and land-use dynamics is a fundamental concern for assessing vulnerability of Amazonia to change. In this study, we analyse satellite-derived monthly annual time series rainfall, fires deforestation explicitly quantify seasonal patterns relationships these three variables, with particular focus on Amazonian drought 2005. Our results demonstrate marked seasonality one peak per year all variables analysed, except deforestation. For cycle, found...
Accurate characterization of tropical moist forest changes is needed to support conservation policies and quantify their contribution global carbon fluxes more effectively. We document, at pantropical scale, the extent (degradation, deforestation, recovery) these forests over past three decades. estimate that 17% have disappeared since 1990 with a remaining area 1071 million hectares in 2019, from which 10% are degraded. Our study underlines importance degradation process ecosystems,...
Abstract The allocation and cycling of carbon (C) within forests is an important component the biospheric C cycle, but particularly understudied tropical forests. We synthesise reported unpublished results from three lowland rainforest sites in Amazonia (in regions Manaus, Tapajós Caxiuanã), all major Large‐Scale Biosphere–Atmosphere Programme (LBA). attempt a comprehensive synthesis stocks, nutrient status and, particularly, internal dynamics sites. calculated net primary productivities...
Abstract Tropical forests are global centres of biodiversity and carbon storage. Many tropical countries aspire to protect forest fulfil climate mitigation policy targets, but the conservation strategies needed achieve these two functions depend critically on tree diversity-carbon storage relationship. Assessing this relationship is challenging due scarcity inventories where stocks in aboveground biomass species identifications have been simultaneously robustly quantified. Here, we compile a...
Abstract. The production of aboveground soft tissue represents an important share total net primary in tropical rain forests. Here we draw from a large number published and unpublished datasets (n=81 sites) to assess the determinants litterfall variation across South American We show that old-growth rainforests, averages 8.61±1.91 Mg ha−1 yr−1 (mean ± standard deviation, dry mass units). Secondary forests have lower annual than with mean 8.01±3.41 yr−1. Annual shows no significant rainfall,...
Abstract. The net primary productivity (NPP) of tropical forests is one the most important and least quantified components global carbon cycle. Most relevant studies have focused particularly on quantification above-ground coarse wood productivity, little known about fluxes involved in other elements NPP, partitioning total NPP between its above- below-ground main environmental drivers these patterns. In this study we quantify ten Amazonian to address two questions: (1) How do allocate among...
Reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD) may curb carbon emissions, but the consequences for fire hazard are poorly understood. By analyzing satellite-derived data Brazilian Amazon, we show that occurrence has increased in 59% of area experienced reduced rates. Differences frequencies across two land-use gradients reveal fire-free land-management can substantially reduce incidence by as much 69%. If sustainable deforested areas is not adopted REDD mechanism, then savings...
The accurate mapping of forest carbon stocks is essential for understanding the global cycle, assessing emissions from deforestation, and rational land-use planning. Remote sensing (RS) currently key tool this purpose, but RS does not estimate vegetation biomass directly, thus may miss significant spatial variations in structure. We test stated accuracy pantropical maps using a large independent field dataset.Tropical forests Amazon basin. permanent archive plot data can be accessed at:...
Thermal sensitivity of tropical trees A key uncertainty in climate change models is the thermal forests and how this value might influence carbon fluxes. Sullivan et al. measured stocks fluxes permanent forest plots distributed globally. This synthesis plot networks across climatic biogeographic gradients shows that dominated by high daytime temperatures. extreme condition depresses growth rates shortens time resides ecosystem killing under hot, dry conditions. The effect temperature worse...