Drought not drying out Amazon

PHOENIX, Sept. 21 (UPI) -- U.S. and Brazilian researchers say the Amazon forest was surprisingly unaffected by a 2005 drought.

Scott Saleska of The University of Arizona said the finding contradicts a prominent global climate model that predicted the Amazon forest would eventually collapse as the drought progressed. The findings, based on data from two NASA satellites, was published online in the current issue of Science Express.

During the 2005 drought, Amazon forest trees flourished in the sunnier-than-average weather, most likely by tapping water deep in the forest soil. In many areas, the canopy of the undisturbed forest became significantly greener, the report said.

Saleska said that from an evolutionary standpoint, the resilience of the forest in a single drought year makes sense. During El Nino, which occurs about every four to eight years, the Amazon forest receives significantly less rain than average.

He said the limit of the forest's resiliency, however is unknown. "But if you take away enough water for long enough, the trees will die," Saleska said Friday in a release.