Severe 2023 Drought: Sinking Carbon Sink in the Amazon

Estimates of the carbon flux for the Amazon region depend upon the scale and method by which they are measured. Panel A shows that a satellite-based method and biogeochemical models estimated a net release of carbon for the whole basin in 2023, although the satellite-based estimate was smaller (indicated by the sizes of the upward yellow arrows). Panel B also shows a net release of carbon (upward yellow arrow) for the shaded region upwind (east) of a tall tower (ATTO) located in the central Amazon (indicated by a red triangle), using continuous CO 2 concentration measurements from the tower combined with a gas transport model. In contrast, panel C shows a net uptake of carbon for the local region immediately around the same tower using the eddy covariance method. Credit: Liu [2026], Figure 1