Articles | Volume 8, issue 3
https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-8-565-2017
https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-8-565-2017
Research article
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11 Jul 2017
Research article | Highlight paper |  | 11 Jul 2017

River logjams cause frequent large-scale forest die-off events in southwestern Amazonia

Umberto Lombardo

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Landsat image archives USGS https://landsatlook.usgs.gov/viewer.html

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Short summary
In lowland Bolivia, satellite images show rivers collapsing and the replacement of forest with savannah. This was first described in 1996 as the result of logjams (river dams created by fallen trees). I have investigated how the logjams form and affect the forest through remote sensing and fieldwork. Logjams occur nearly every year and propagate upriver until the river changes course. This region offers a unique opportunity to study how frequent forest die-off events affect biodiversity.
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