#amazon basin
New Rainforest Vulnerability Index
A group of international scientists and researchers have created a new index to measure tropical rainforest vulnerability using satellite data. The index is called the tropical first vulnerability index (TFVI) and combines various measurements of forest ecological functions and services as well as spatial information to identify potential risks.Humid tropical rainforests are especially sensitive to climate change effects like higher temperatures, frequent droughts, extensive deforestation, and changes in land use and climate but are also a key component to them. By using TFVI, scientists hope to monitor and mitigate threats to rainforests before the change is irreversible.
References:JPL,ScienceDaily,Florida News Times,Yahoo NewsGraphicSource:National Geographic, American Geographical Society
Post link
Millions of lasers shot from a helicopter flying over the Amazon basin have revealed evidence of unknown settlements built by a “lost” pre-Hispanic civilization, resolving a long-standing scientific debate about whether the region could sustain a large population, a new study finds.
The findings indicate the mysterious Casarabe people — who lived in the Llanos de Mojos region of the Amazon basin between A.D. 500 and 1400 — were much more numerous than previously thought, and that they had developed an extensive civilization that was finely adapted to the unique environment they lived in, according to the study, published online Wednesday (May 25) in the journal Nature.Read more.
