ZurichAmazon fire ozone erases carbon equal to 24% of fire emissions.
Ozone damage in the 2023/24 drought nearly doubled the previous decade’s average, lead author Flossie Brown said.
Fire pollutants react in sunlight to form ground-level ozone, which damages leaves, a 1997-2024 study of observations and vegetation modelling found.
Researchers warn this year’s strengthening El Niño could repeat the record damage seen in 2024.
How each outlet framed it
- Phys.org leans critical
- fire-driven ozone reduces Amazon carbon uptake by ~24% of fire-emitted carbon—'double impact' beyond direct emissions
Sources: Phys.org