Moisture origins of the Amazon carbon source region

Abstract The southeastern Amazon has recently been shown to be a net carbon source, which is partly caused by drying conditions. Drying depends on number of factors, one the land cover at locations where moisture originated as evaporation. Here we assess for first time origins that precipitates in source region, using output from Lagrangian atmospheric tracking model. We relate vegetation productivity region precipitation patterns and derive land-cover data these areas, allowing us estimate how cycle hydrological are linked this critical part Amazon. find that, annually, 13% evaporated same area, half its land-derived moisture. further moisture-recycling-mediated increase gross primary roughly 41 Mg km ?2 yr ?1 within if it fully forested compared any other cover. Our results indicate parts forest already still help sustain their own biomass production. Although most degraded depend mostly oceanic input moisture, degradation would amplify losses atmosphere.