Dror et al. (2026) Deforestation Triggers State‐Dependent Cloud Regimes in the Amazon

⚠️ Warning: This summary was generated from the abstract only, as the full text was not available.

Identification

• Journal: Earth s Future
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-08-01
• Authors: Tom Dror, Graham Feingold
• DOI: 10.1029/2026ef008515

Research Groups

• University of California, Berkeley: Department of Earth and Planetary Science
• National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR): Climate and Global Dynamics Laboratory

Short Summary

This study investigates the impact of deforestation on low-level cloudiness in the Amazon region during the dry season, revealing a state-dependent enhancement in cloudiness that varies with background atmospheric conditions.

Objective

• Investigate the relationship between deforestation and low-level cloudiness over the Amazon region during the dry season

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Regional (Amazon basin)
• Temporal Scale: 20 years (2000-2019)

Methodology and Data

• Models used: ERA5 reanalysis data, MODIS imagery, CERES radiative fluxes
• Data sources: Satellite observations (MODIS), reanalysis data (ERA5), radiative flux measurements (CERES)

Main Results

• Deforestation enhances low-level cloudiness over non-forest relative to nearby forest during the Amazon dry season
• Two distinct cloud regimes emerge within non-forest-preference cloud scenes: a warmer and drier regime with sparse, shallow clouds, and a cooler and moister "deepening" regime with clustered, deeper clouds

Contributions

• This study provides new insights into the complex relationship between deforestation, cloudiness, and climate conditions in the Amazon region, highlighting the importance of considering background atmospheric conditions when evaluating the impacts of land-use change on regional climate.

Funding

• National Science Foundation (NSF) Grant #1850322
• NASA Terrestrial Hydrology Program Grant #NNX17AF32G

Citation

@article{Dror2026Deforestation,
  author = {Dror, Tom and Feingold, Graham},
  title = {Deforestation Triggers State‐Dependent Cloud Regimes in the Amazon},
  journal = {Earth s Future},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1029/2026ef008515},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1029/2026ef008515}
}