photo: Ben Hur Marimon Junior
Seca Limite
Assessing the Amazon's drought resistance limits
photo: Carlos Dias
What is Seca Limite
Seca Limite is an international collaborative project, led by the University of Leeds and the State University of Mato Grosso (UNEMAT), to understand how close the southern Amazon forests are to a climate tipping point.
The experiment is a 10,000 square meter mega-structure with 3,600 rain exclusion panels, 'mounted on a network of wooden beams and water collection gutters. These panels intercept and divert about 50% of the natural precipitation through gutters that discharge the water outside the experiment, simulating a prolonged condition of reduced rainfall.
Why is the project important?
The project is located in the southern Amazon. The forests in this region are on the front line of climate change. And subject to the greatest water stress in the Amazon. Seca Limite helps us understand the survival limits of these forests in the face of climate change.
photo: Jacqueline Lisboa, WWF
photo: Emma Docherty
Training the next generation of Amazon Scientists
Seca Limite is empowering a new generation of Amazon scientists to understand how forests are responding to climate change. Around 20 graduate students and postdocs develop their research in the project.
The project in action
Funders
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Realization and Support
