Tall Amazonian forests are less sensitive to precipitation variability
Tropical rainforests play a critical role in regulating the global climate system -- they represent the Earth's largest terrestrial CO2 sink. Because of its broad geographical expanse and year-long productivity, the Amazon is key to the global carbon and hydrological cycles. Climate change could threaten the fate of rainforests, but there is great uncertainty about the future ability of rainforests to store carbon.