The Brazilian Amazon forest is a large repository of carbon. When forests are cleared, carbon stored above and below ground in leaves, branches, stems, and roots is released to the atmosphere. Forest clearing, especially in the tropics, is a major source of CO2 to the atmosphere. The Carbon value item is represented using data from Baccini et al. [1].
1. Baccini, A., et al., Estimated carbon dioxide emissions from tropical deforestation improved by carbon-density maps. Nature Clim. Change, 2012. 2(3): p. 182-185.
