Sea Surface Temperature Affects Rain Forests Rainfall patterns in the Amazon rain forests have changed greatly over the course of time.
Some regions suffer from torrential downpours while others are literally drying out.
Until now, human deforestation and agricultural practices have been blamed for this development, as they have greatly changed the region's structure. Now, a US atmospheric scientist at the Georgia Institute of Technology has found that the ocean surface temperatures in the Atlantic and the Pacific surrounding South America has as much of an impact on rainfall as land cover changes do. In computer simulations, she analyzed the effects of the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans on the rain forest. According to her data, rising sea surface temperatures lead to drier conditions, while falling temperatures result in flooding. Even though evaporation off the Atlantic Ocean has a direct route to Brazil, its impact appeared comparatively weak in the simulations.