Abstract: The Amazonian forests are a critical component of the global carbon cycle, storing about 100 billion tons of carbon in woody biomass, and accounting for about 15 of global net primary production and 66 of its inter-annual variability. There is growing concern that these forests could succumb to precipitation reduction in a progressively warming climate causing extensive carbon release and feedback to the carbon cycle. Contradicting research, on the other hand, claims that these forests are re…