Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • NEWS FEATURE

When will the Amazon hit a tipping point?

Scientists say climate change, deforestation and fires could cause the world’s largest rainforest to dry out. The big question is how soon that might happen.
  1. Ignacio Amigo

    1. Ignacio Amigo is a science writer based in Manaus, Brazil.

    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed  Google Scholar

An aerial view of deforestation in the Amazon basin forest of Brazil.

Deforestation in Altamira, Pará state, Brazil. Credit: Joao Laet/AFP via Getty

Seen from a monitoring tower above the treetops near Manaus in the Brazilian Amazon, the rainforest canopy stretches to the horizon as an endless sea of green. It looks like a rich and healthy ecosystem, but appearances are deceiving. This rainforest — which holds 16,000 separate tree species — is slowly drying out.

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Get just this article for as long as you need it

$39.95

Learn more

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Nature 578, 505-507 (2020)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-020-00508-4

References

  1. Nobre, C. A. et al. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 113, 10759–10768 (2016).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Marengo, J. A. & Espinoza, J. C. Int. J. Climat. 36, 1033–1050 (2015).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Esquivel-Muelbert, A. et al. Glob. Change. Biol. 25, 39–56 (2019).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Staal, A. et al. Nature Clim. Change 8, 539–543 (2018).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Lovejoy, T. E. & Nobre, C. Sci. Adv. 4, eaat2340 (2018)

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Lovejoy, T. E. & Nobre, C. Sci. Adv. 5, eaba2949 (2019).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Jiang, M. et al. Preprint at bioRxiv https://doi.org/10.1101/696898 (2019).

  8. Brando, P. M. et al. Sci. Adv. 6, eaay1632 (2020).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Poorter, L. et al. Nature 530, 211–214 (2016).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Elias, F. et al. Ecology https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.2954 (2019).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Levis, C. et al. Nature Ecol. Evol. 4, 172–173 (2020).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Subjects

Latest on:

Nature Careers

Jobs

  • Postdoctoral Research Scientist in Bioinformatics and Neuroscience

    Postdoctoral Research Scientist position for large-scale analysis of genomic and multi-omic datasets on Alzheimer's Disease and related disorders

    New York City, New York (US)

    Columbia University Taub Institute

  • Postdoctoral Associate- Nutrition

    Summary The Children's Nutrition Research Center (CNRC) at Baylor College of Medicine invites applications for a Postdoctoral Associate in Pediatri...

    Houston, Texas (US)

    Baylor College of Medicine (BCM)

  • Postdoctoral Fellow - The Laboratory of Prof. Tracy McGaha

    The long-term objective of the Centre for Oncology and Immunology is to identify druggable cancer targets of recalcitrant malignancies and developi...

    Hong Kong (HK)

    Centre for Oncology and Immunology

  • The William H. Gates Sr. Fellowship from the AD Data Initiative

    Applications are now open for The William H. Gates Sr. Fellowship from the AD Data Initiative! Apply today.

    Remote position but Fellows are welcome at our office located in Seattle, Washington

    AD Data Initiative

  • Postdoctoral Associate- RNA Biology

    Summary A Postdoctoral Associate position is available in the laboratory of Dr. Jeremy Wilusz, located in the Verna and Marrs McLean Department of ...

    Houston, Texas (US)

    Baylor College of Medicine (BCM)

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing

Search

Advanced search

Quick links