Bakels et al. (2026) Enhanced Dry Season Moisture Recycling in the Congo and Amazon Rainforests

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

Identification

• Journal: Water Resources Research
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-09-01
• Authors: Lucie Bakels, Lan Wang‐Erlandsson, Ruud van der Ent, Arie Staal, Patrick W. Keys, Delphine Clara Zemp, Ingo Fetzer, Makoto Taniguchi, Line Josefin Gordon
• DOI: 10.1029/2025wr043039

Research Groups

• Laboratory for Climate and Environmental Sciences (LSCE)
• Department of Earth System Science, University of California, Irvine
• African Forest Hydrology and Ecosystem Processes Group, University of Witwatersrand

Short Summary

This study investigates the role of rainforests in maintaining rainfall during dry periods by analyzing moisture recycling statistics over 43 years in the Amazon and Congo regions. The findings highlight a significant increase in dry-season rainfall reliance on rainforest moisture.

Objective

• Investigate the impact of rainforest loss on evaporation and subsequent rainfall in the wider forested region, particularly during dry periods.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Continental scale (South America and Africa)
• Temporal Scale: 43 years (1980–2023)

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Not specified
• Data sources: Satellite data, observation, reanalysis

Main Results

• Dry-season rainfall reliance on rainforest moisture increases by 5% in the Amazon and up to 12% in the Congo.
• A lower fraction of rainforest evaporation stays within the rainforest during the dry season: 21% less from the Amazon and 22% less from the Congo.
• Areas downwind of the rainforests gain a higher dependency on rainforest moisture during dry seasons, amplified during dry years.

Contributions

• This study provides original insights into the critical role of rainforests in maintaining rainfall during periods when water is already scarce, highlighting the need for conservation efforts to protect these ecosystems.

Funding

• Not specified

Citation

@article{Bakels2026Enhanced,
  author = {Bakels, Lucie and Wang‐Erlandsson, Lan and Ent, Ruud van der and Staal, Arie and Keys, Patrick  W. and Zemp, Delphine Clara and Fetzer, Ingo and Taniguchi, Makoto and Gordon, Line  Josefin},
  title = {Enhanced Dry Season Moisture Recycling in the Congo and Amazon Rainforests},
  journal = {Water Resources Research},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1029/2025wr043039},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1029/2025wr043039}
}