"Deforestation is playing a greater role than researchers expected, according to a new study." 

"For decades, the dry season in the Amazon rainforest has been getting drier. A new study, published on Tuesday, found that about 75 percent of the decrease in rainfall is directly linked to deforestation.

The study, in Nature Communications, also found that tree loss was partly responsible for increased heat across the Amazon. Since 1985, the hottest days in the Amazon have warmed by about 2 degrees Celsius. About 16 percent of that increase, the researchers found, was because of deforestation.

Marco Franco, an assistant professor at the University of São Paulo who led the study, said he was surprised by the findings. “We were expecting to see deforestation as a driver, but not this much,” he said. “It tells us a lot about what’s going on in the biome.”"

Sachi Kitajima Mulkey reports for the New York Times September 2, 2025. [2]