Portions of the Amazon rainforest are emitting more carbon than they are absorbing, mainly due to increased deforestation and fires, a new study says. Published July 15 in the scientific journal Nature, the findings suggest that unless conservation efforts are redoubled, the rainforest could lose its ability to serve as a carbon-absorbing “sink” to counter climate change. In the study, researchers measured carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide concentrations above the southeastern, southwestern, northeastern and northwestern Brazilian Amazon, gathering data in 590 small-aircraft flights from 2010 to 2018. Pilots flew 4.4 kilometers (2.7 miles) above the forest canopy, then took some 8,000 measurements as they descended to within 300 meters (984 feet) of the ground, creating a vertical profile of carbon concentrations. To gauge the carbon balance, they weighed carbon absorption by trees through photosynthesis; carbon emissions from the natural decomposition of organic forest matter; and fire-related carbon... [Log in to read more]