Amazon rainforest drought = forest fires?

[Roj47]

The link I provide I admit is old from October 2005, but without a shadow of doubt the area can not have recovered, and should this year follow lasts then this is potentially serious stuff.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4344310.stm

What is not said is that this is the worst drought in 60 years.

Should the unthinkable happen, and this year is dry enough to result in forest fires then a HUGE amount of CO2 will be emitted to the atmosphere, whilst the creation of oxygen will decrease.

I have not as yet heard any concerns about oxygen reduction and only CO2 increasing.

http://www.mongabay.com/external/amazon_drought_NASA.htm

http://news.mongabay.com/2005/1211-amazon.html

http://www.scidev.net/content/news/eng/ama...mate-change.cfm

may be of interest in general global warming -

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2092-2189536,00.html

[Raptor]

The Amazon rainforest is normally extremely wet. Even in the event of a drought I think the probability of a forest fire is extremely small, it would have to be bone dry for a forest fire to start. I'm sure that would only be possible after a very long time of drought.

[Roj47]

The Amazon rainforest is normally extremely wet. Even in the event of a drought I think the probability of a forest fire is extremely small, it would have to be bone dry for a forest fire to start. I'm sure that would only be possible after a very long time of drought.

Agreed, but in the 20 years I have been aware of global warming (through school, and documentaries etc), this is the first mention that the Amazon is becoming considered a risk.

To the best of my knowledge no-one even considered any danger other than logging.

[Celumnaz]

Pretty sure the only things I've learned from approved places (school, newspapers) is that the rain forests have been dying since at least the 70's (shouldn't they be dead already?) and all hopes for curing cancer and AIDS is lost because the forests are dying.

That's pretty much the official version I got all up through college.

I've lost some phobias over the years since.

Edit: forgot to add, was also taught it's evil profit seekers that are destroying it all, directly by chopping or indirectly through environmental damage.

Edited June 6, 2006 by Celumnaz

[War Eagle]

I always wondered why somebody does'nt do somthing about that.

Then i realised i was somebody.- Lily Tomlin.

[chris57]

usually rainforest don't catch on fire its people that burn them down

[Roj47]

usually rainforest don't catch on fire its people that burn them down

True, but my case is that the rain forest is drying out and slowly dying.

Should this trend continue then in the near future there will be forest fires of significance in S. America.