Tree ring isotopes reveal an intensification of the hydrological cycle in the Amazon

Over recent decades the Amazon region has been exposed to large-scale land-use changes and global warming. How these changes affect Amazonia’s hydrological cycle remains unclear as meteorological data are scarce. We use tree ring oxygen isotope records to confirm that the Amazon hydrological cycle has intensified since 1980. Diverging isotopic trends from terra firme and floodplain trees from distinct sites (approximately 1000 km apart) in Western Amazon indicate rainfall amounts increased during the wet season and decreased during the dry season at large-scale. Using the Rayleigh distillation model, we estimate that wet season rainfall increased by 15–22%, and dry season rainfall decreased by 8–13%. These diverging trends provide evidence, independent from existing climate records, that the seasonality of the hydrological cycle in the Amazon is increasing. Continuation of the observed trends will have a pervasive impact on Amazon forests and floodplain ecosystems, and strongly affect the livelihoods of the regional riverine communities.