Loss of Amazon rainforest resilience confirmed from single-sensor satellite data

<p>The Amazon rainforest acts as a carbon sink and is one of the most bio-diverse ecosystems of our planet. As such, it is an important but vulnerable subsystem of the Earth System. Studies suggest that the region is bi-stable with respect to mean annual precipitation. Thus, it is considered a Tipping Element of the Earth System.</p> <p>In this work, we investigate several statistics which, according to dynamical system theory, change in the advent of a Tipping Point. To assess the state of the Amazon rainforest, various remotely sensed vegetation indices (VIs) exist. Multiple single-sensor VIs are considered and analyzed if they show reasonable behavior. The results reveal an ongoing loss of resilience in several parts of the Amazon rainforest.&#160;</p> <p>&#160;</p>