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Mesoscale moisture transport effects on forest edges in a fragmented landscape in Amazonia

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Abstract

This work explores the dry season micrometeorology of fragmented forests in Amazonia. Numerical simulations with a coupled atmosphere-vegetation model show that mesoscale moisture transport leads to a significant drying and vegetation stress at the forest edges. Increased evaporation cannot fully compensate for the drying. Typical convective precipitation events that occur in the dry season have a localized impact and do not affect the drying trend in the long term. Availability of soil moisture can partially mitigate the drying effect and consequent vegetation stress. Edge effects can dominate the vegetation dynamics and fire susceptibility of forest fragments as a whole. Hence, understanding the dynamics and drivers of edge effects is crucial for understanding the ecology and future of tropical forests in a changing climate.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Atmospheric Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 105 S Gregory Street, Urbana, IL, 6180, USA

    Somnath Baidya Roy

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  1. Somnath Baidya Roy
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Correspondence to Somnath Baidya Roy.

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Baidya Roy, S. Mesoscale moisture transport effects on forest edges in a fragmented landscape in Amazonia. Climatic Change 108, 609–617 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-011-0218-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-011-0218-2

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