The researchers used a special satellite technique, called Vegetation Optical Depth, to determine how much biomass the massive rainforest held from 1991 to 2016. Using these findings, along with statistical indicators of stability that have been used to assess other rapidly changing ecosystems like the Greenland ice sheet, the team determined that since 2000, 75 percent of the forest has become less resilient to disruptions like wildfires and droughts. Areas of the forest that are near farms, urban areas, and roads are losing their stability at the quickest rate.
