Are Extreme Storms Reshaping the Amazon Faster Than We Realize?

Profile Picture of - Jose David Urquiza-Munoz

Jose David Urquiza-Munoz

Abstract information

In this video, JOSE DAVID URQUIZA-MUÑOZ investigates how extreme convective storms are increasingly reshaping the Amazon through large-scale windthrows. By analyzing over 9,000 Landsat images from 1985-2020, he identifies a sharp rise in these destructive events, concentrated in central and western forest hotspots. His findings show that windthrows significantly affect carbon balance, biodiversity, and forest recovery - impacts likely to intensify with climate change. Urquiza-Muñoz also highlights new tools like LiDAR and introduces the Windthrow Inventory Database to support future ecological and climate modeling.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21036/LTPUB101215

Researcher

Jose David Urquiza-Muñoz, PhD., works as a postdoc in the Department of Biogeochemical Processes at the Max Planck Institute and is a member of the International Max Planck Research School for Global Biogeochemical Cycles (IMPRS-gBGC). His research focuses on geospatial ecology and the spatiotemporal variations of forest ecosystem attributes in the Amazon. Urquiza-Muñoz has co-authored multiple publications on large-scale windthrows, forest recovery, and greenhouse gas emissions in the Amazon basin, contributing to the understanding of tropical forest dynamics under environmental stress.

Institution information

Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry

Located in Jena, this research center investigates how living organisms and physical processes interact to shape the Earth’s climate and environment. Since its start in 1997, it has become a central authority on the global carbon, water, and nutrient cycles, specifically focusing on how these systems respond to human impact.

The facility is famous for managing the Zotino Tall Tower Observatory in Siberia, a massive mast used to measure greenhouse gases across the northern hemisphere. Researchers here use a mix of field experiments and complex computer modeling to predict future environmental shifts. Currently, the institute is heavily involved in tracking how rising temperatures affect the ability of forests and soils to store carbon dioxide on a global scale.

Cover Photo of -

Original Publication

Increased Occurrence of Large-Scale Windthrows Across the Amazon Basin

Citation

Jose David Urquiza-Munoz, 

Latest Thinking, 

Are Extreme Storms Reshaping the Amazon Faster Than We Realize?, 

https://doi.org/10.21036/LTPUB101215

Credits:

© Jose David Urquiza-Munoz 

and Latest Thinking

This work is licensed under CC-BY 4.0