{"id":152221,"date":"2021-01-11T23:20:04","date_gmt":"2021-01-11T20:20:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/wielding-machetes-and-calipers-sweat-soaked-scientists-count-carbon-in-amazon\/"},"modified":"2021-01-11T23:20:04","modified_gmt":"2021-01-11T20:20:04","slug":"wielding-machetes-and-calipers-sweat-soaked-scientists-count-carbon-in-amazon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wielding-machetes-and-calipers-sweat-soaked-scientists-count-carbon-in-amazon\/","title":{"rendered":"#Wielding machetes and calipers, sweat-soaked scientists count carbon in Amazon"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3361a53d260\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3361a53d260\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wielding-machetes-and-calipers-sweat-soaked-scientists-count-carbon-in-amazon\/#Holistic_approach\" >Holistic approach<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wielding-machetes-and-calipers-sweat-soaked-scientists-count-carbon-in-amazon\/#Meticulous_measurements\" >Meticulous measurements<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wielding-machetes-and-calipers-sweat-soaked-scientists-count-carbon-in-amazon\/#Healing_the_planet\" >Healing the planet<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;<strong>#Wielding machetes and calipers, sweat-soaked scientists count carbon in Amazon<\/strong>&#8221;<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>ITAPU\u00c3 DO OESTE, Brazil \u2013 The machete-wielding scientists ventured into the Amazon, hacking through dense jungle as the mid-morning temperature soared past 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 C).<\/p>\n<p>Soaked in sweat, the small group of men and women sawed and tore trees limb from limb. They drilled into the soil and sprayed paint across tree trunks.<\/p>\n<p>This is vandalism in the name of <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/sciencee\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"5\" title=\"Science\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">science<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>In the trees about 90 km (55 miles) from Rond\u00f4nia state capital Porto Velho, the Brazilian researchers are seeking to learn how much carbon can be stored in different parts of the world\u2019s largest rainforest, helping to remove emissions from the atmosphere that foment climate change.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s important because we are losing forests globally,\u201d said Carlos Roberto Sanquetta, a forestry engineering professor at the Federal University of Paran\u00e1 in Brazil.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe need to understand what is the role that forests play,\u201d both in absorbing carbon when they are left intact and releasing it when they are destroyed.<\/p>\n<p>Sanquetta led the weeklong research expedition in November, overseeing a team including a botanist, agronomist, biologist and several other forestry engineers to take myriad samples of vegetation \u2013 living and dead \u2013 for analysis.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s rigorous and elaborate work, often in humid and insect-infested conditions, involving chainsaws, spades, corkscrews and calipers.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThese are not white-coat scientists just lecturing people,\u201d Raoni Raj\u00e3o, who specializes in environmental management at the Federal University of Minas Gerais and is not involved with Sanquetta\u2019s team. \u201cThese are hardworking people that get their hands dirty.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Holistic_approach\"><\/span>Holistic approach <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" alt=\"Forestry student Mateus Sanquetta observes as day laborer Ilandio Pereira da Silva cuts down a tree in the Amazon to measure its carbon levels.\" class=\"wp-image-17029308 lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/01\/CLIMATE-CHANGE_BRAZIL-CARBON.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=300 300w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/01\/CLIMATE-CHANGE_BRAZIL-CARBON.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=640 640w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/01\/CLIMATE-CHANGE_BRAZIL-CARBON.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1280 1280w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/01\/CLIMATE-CHANGE_BRAZIL-CARBON.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1024 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/01\/CLIMATE-CHANGE_BRAZIL-CARBON.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=2000 2000w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Forestry student Mateus Sanquetta observes as day laborer Ilandio Pereira da Silva cuts down a tree in the Amazon to measure its carbon levels.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Reuters<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The Brazilian team is just one contingent among hundreds of researchers seeking to measure carbon in the complex and environmentally crucial Amazon rainforest ecosystem, which sprawls across more than six million square kilometers in nine countries.<\/p>\n<p>Some research seeks only to quantify carbon in trees, but Sanquetta says his team\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>roach is holistic, measuring carbon in underbrush, soil and decomposing plant matter as well. In addition, his team is looking beyond primary forest, examining reforested areas to shed new light on how much carbon they hold \u2013 information key to incentivizing restoration efforts.<\/p>\n<p>Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the most prevalent of the greenhouse gases, which lock heat into the earth\u2019s atmosphere. Trees soak up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store it as carbon, one of the cheapest and easiest ways to absorb greenhouse gas.<\/p>\n<p>The process also works in reverse, however. When trees are chopped down or burned \u2013 often to make way for farms or cow pastures \u2013 the wood releases CO2 back into the atmosphere.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEvery time there is deforestation, it\u2019s a loss, an emission of greenhouse gas,\u201d said Sanquetta, who is a member of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the world\u2019s top climate science authority.<\/p>\n<p>At current emission rates, global temperatures are expected to rise about 2.9 degrees Celsius by 2100, according to nonprofit consortium Climate Action Tracker, far surpassing the 1.5- to 2-degree limit needed to avert catastrophic changes to the planet. Climate change raises sea levels, intensifies natural disasters and can spur the mass migration of refugees.<\/p>\n<p>Deforestation in the Amazon has accelerated during the administration of Jair Bolsonaro, the right-wing president of Brazil. Since he took office in 2019, at least 825 million tonnes of CO2 have been released from Brazilian Amazon deforestation.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s more than emitted by all US passenger cars in a year.<\/p>\n<p>In a statement, the office of Brazilian Vice President Hamilton Mour\u00e3o, who leads the government\u2019s Amazon policy, said the rise in deforestation predated the current administration and that the government has been working around the clock to thwart destructive mining and lumber trafficking.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have not achieved the desired degree of success, but it could have been worse,\u201d the statement said.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Meticulous_measurements\"><\/span>Meticulous measurements <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" alt=\"Antonio Laffayete Silveira, a forestry engineering professor at the Federal University of Rondonia, and botanist count smaller plants in a frame on a parcel of Amazon rainforest.\" class=\"wp-image-17029316 lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/01\/CLIMATE-CHANGE_BRAZIL-CARBON-1.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=300 300w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/01\/CLIMATE-CHANGE_BRAZIL-CARBON-1.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=640 640w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/01\/CLIMATE-CHANGE_BRAZIL-CARBON-1.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1280 1280w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/01\/CLIMATE-CHANGE_BRAZIL-CARBON-1.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1024 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/01\/CLIMATE-CHANGE_BRAZIL-CARBON-1.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=2000 2000w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Antonio Laffayete Silveira, a forestry engineering professor at the Federal University of Rondonia, and botanist count smaller plants in a frame on a parcel of Amazon rainforest.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Reuters<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Key to understanding and addressing the climate threat is bringing more precision to carbon measurements in receding forests.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEveryone wants this information,\u201d said Alexis Bastos, project coordinator of the nonprofit Rioterra Study Center, a Brazilian organization that provides financial support and several scientists to Sanquetta\u2019s team.<\/p>\n<p>Today there are scientists measuring forest carbon on nearly every continent.<\/p>\n<p>Aside from Sanquetta\u2019s team, for instance, the Amazon Forest Inventory Network with its more than 200 partner scientists is trying to standardize carbon and other measurements, garnering huge amounts of data to \u201cquantify\u201d the forest.<\/p>\n<p>The challenge is \u201cthere\u2019s differences in species across the Amazon. In Peru in the southwest versus Guyana in the northeast, there\u2019s virtually no species overlap at all, so it\u2019s completely different plants in exactly the same climate,\u201d said Oliver Phillips, the network\u2019s coordinator and a tropical ecologist at the United Kingdom\u2019s University of Leeds.<\/p>\n<p>The network\u2019s partners use precise parameters to capture the major carbon reservoirs, including in dead plant matter and soil. For instance, if a tree is on the border of a plot, it should be measured only if more than 50 percent of its roots are in the plot.<\/p>\n<p>No one team could hope to sample enough of the vast rainforest for an exact count of carbon harbored by the Amazon. It\u2019s also a moving target: The Amazon rainforest, which varies from tangled jungle to more open, riverine spaces, is constantly shifting, as more trees are chopped down while restoration efforts are accelerating.<\/p>\n<p>Sanquetta\u2019s team began its current line of research in 2016, relying on support from Rioterra, which itself received funding from Petr\u00f3leo Brasileiro SA (Petrobras), the Brazilian state-owned oil firm. At the time, Rioterra was replanting destroyed areas of rainforest and wanted to know how much carbon was being sequestered.<\/p>\n<p>Petrobras told Reuters in a statement that it had been working for years to honor its \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">social<\/a> responsibility\u201d commitments, which among other things meant supplying energy while \u201covercoming sustainability challenges.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Each weeklong expedition costs about 200,000 reais ($36,915.35). Sanquetta said his project has not received any money from Petrobras directly.<\/p>\n<p>When the Petrobras funding dried up, Rioterra found support from the Amazon Fund, backed by the governments of Brazil, Norway and Germany.<\/p>\n<p>Preliminary findings indicate that planting a mix of Amazon species is more effective in sequestering carbon than allowing the area to regrow naturally.<\/p>\n<p>But findings also suggest there is no substitute for leaving forests untouched: A hectare of virgin Rond\u00f4nia forest holds an average 176 tonnes of carbon, according to Sanquetta\u2019s analysis of Brazilian Science Ministry data. By comparison, a replanted hectare of forest after 10 years holds about 44 tonnes and soy farms hold an average of only 2 tonnes.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Healing_the_planet\"><\/span>Healing the planet<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" alt=\"Researchers break down a tree to measure its carbon levels.\" class=\"wp-image-17029354 lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/01\/CLIMATE-CHANGE_BRAZIL-CARBON-3.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=300 300w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/01\/CLIMATE-CHANGE_BRAZIL-CARBON-3.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=640 640w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/01\/CLIMATE-CHANGE_BRAZIL-CARBON-3.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1280 1280w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/01\/CLIMATE-CHANGE_BRAZIL-CARBON-3.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1024 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/01\/CLIMATE-CHANGE_BRAZIL-CARBON-3.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=2000 2000w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Researchers break down a tree to measure its carbon levels.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Reuters<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Out in the jungle, Sanquetta\u2019s team members swatted away swarming, stingless bees, while they dissected a 10-by-20-meter plot that\u2019s been growing back naturally for almost 10 years, abandoned by a farmer.<\/p>\n<p>The team counted 19 trees with trunks measuring at least 15-centimeters in circumference, a threshold above which trees <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/general\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"General\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">general<\/a>ly hold significantly more carbon. Edilson Consuello de Oliveira, a 64-year-old botanist from neighboring Acre state, wrapped a tape measure around one of them.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBellucia!\u201d he called out, identifying Bellucia grossularioides, a fruit-bearing tree that is one of the fastest to regrow. He rattled off the measurements, while another scientist scribbled them down.<\/p>\n<p>A biologist nailed number markers into tree trunks. Meanwhile, a few in the group were hewing into a tree with a chainsaw, having selected it for \u201cautopsy.\u201d The shorn trunk was cut into pieces, the leaves s<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/trip-and-travel\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"10\" title=\"Trip &amp; Travel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">trip<\/a>ped and bagged and the stump dug up and weighed on a hanging scale strung from branches above.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s destructive, but we only do it for a few trees,\u201d said Sanquetta.<\/p>\n<p>Another group drove a motorized, 3-foot (1 meter) metal corkscrew into the ground and pulled up dirt from four different depths. Others measured the width of decomposing plants with calipers and raked up ground debris.<\/p>\n<p>The samples were taken back to the lab, where the team dried and weighed them, before incinerating them in a dry combustion chamber that allows them to measure how much carbon is contained.<\/p>\n<p>The team measured 20 plots during a week\u2019s work in November. The final goal is 100 plots by later this year.<\/p>\n<p>The work offers \u201ca way to measure the health of the planet,\u201d Raj\u00e3o said, but also \u201chow quickly the planet could be healed.\u201d\n            <\/p><\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2021\/01\/11\/wielding-machetes-and-calipers-sweat-soaked-scientists-count-carbon-in-amazon\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;#Wielding machetes and calipers, sweat-soaked scientists count carbon in Amazon&#8221; ITAPU\u00c3 DO OESTE, Brazil \u2013 The machete-wielding scientists ventured into the Amazon, hacking through dense jungle as the mid-morning temperature soared past 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 C). Soaked in sweat, the small group of men and women sawed and tore trees limb from limb. They&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":152222,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/01\/CLIMATE-CHANGE_BRAZIL-CARBON-2.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=1200","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[89048,22483,43485,10595,61514,67907],"class_list":["post-152221","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-1-11-21","tag-brazil","tag-climate-change","tag-environment","tag-research","tag-science"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/152221","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=152221"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/152221\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/152222"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=152221"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=152221"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=152221"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}