Amazon Fires Changing Continent’s Climate

Smoke from burning forests in the Amazon is affecting the climate across South America -- drying up rain and making the storms that do develop much more violent, scientists reported Thursday.

Smoke, partly from agricultural and deforestation fires, rises to the clouds, delaying the release of rain and allowing clouds to grow taller than they otherwise would, the researchers said.

Higher clouds produce violent thunderstorms, and while less rain falls to the ground, it often comes in the form of hail and rainstorms instead of more nourishing, gentle rains, the international team reported in the journal Science.