The Amazon rainforest -- a cloud factory
The forest in the Amazon Basin produces its own rain. During the wet season, aerosol particles, which serve to condensate clouds and precipitation here, mainly consist of organic material. These aerosols are released by the rainforest itself. This has been demonstrated by scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry in Mainz, who are now able to draw conclusions about the mechanisms of this ecosystem: the high content of organic material indicates that the Amazon Basin acts as a largely self-contained biogeochemical reactor during the rainy season. The results could also help scientists construct more accurate climate models in the future. They can therefore be used to analyse anthropogenic influence on cloud formation and precipitation. (Science, 17 September 2010)