Pattnayak, KC orcid.org/0000-0001-9589-8789, Tindall, JC orcid.org/0000-0002-2360-5761, Brienen, RJW orcid.org/0000-0002-5397-5755 et al. (2 more authors) (2019) Can We Detect Changes in Amazon Forest Structure Using Measurements of the Isotopic Composition of Precipitation? Geophysical Research Letters, 46 (24). ISSN 0094-8276
Abstract
Large‐scale (>500 km) spatial gradients of precipitation oxygen isotope‐ratios (δ18Op) hold information about the hydrological cycle. They result from the interplay between rainout and evapotranspiration along air‐parcel paths, but these counteracting effects are difficult to disentangle complicating quantification of the effect of land cover change on δ18Op. We show that disentangling can qualitatively be achieved using climate model simulations with a land‐derived precipitation tracer for tropical South America. We then either vary land cover as observed since 1870 or by replacing Amazon forests with bare land to determine the resulting signals. Our results indicate that effects of historically changing land cover on annual mean δ18O isotope‐ratio gradients are small and unlikely detectable, although there is a noticeable signal during the dry season. Furthermore, the effect of changes in water recycling on Amazon δ18Op in paleo‐records may have been overestimated and need reinterpretation.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | ©2019. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved. This is an author produced version of an article published in Geophysical Research Letters. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. |
Keywords: | precipitation oxygen isotope‐ratios; land derived precipitation tracer; Ocean derived precipitation tracer; Rayleigh distillation; ocean‐sourced precipitation; recycled precipitation |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Environment (Leeds) > School of Earth and Environment (Leeds) > Earth Surface Science Institute (ESSI) (Leeds) The University of Leeds > Faculty of Environment (Leeds) > School of Earth and Environment (Leeds) > Inst for Climate & Atmos Science (ICAS) (Leeds) The University of Leeds > Faculty of Environment (Leeds) > School of Geography (Leeds) > Ecology & Global Change (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 12 Dec 2019 11:53 |
Last Modified: | 25 Apr 2020 00:38 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | American Geophysical Union (AGU) |
Identification Number: | 10.1029/2019gl084749 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:154528 |