One way to think of the tropics is like the human heart: Just as the heart pumps blood to the body to keep organs and tissues alive, the tropics circulate heat, triggering changes in weather and nourishing climates around the world. Because of the basin's location in the tropics, any sort of weather hiccup from the area could signal serious changes for the rest of the world like droughts and severe storms. According to researchers at Goddard, such changes may indeed be on the horizon. Using data from NASA's Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission and military and NOAA satellites, Goddard meteorologists examined a large, deforested area in the Amazon Basin. The meteorologists wanted to know if the lack of tree cover is affecting the weather around the area. Initial indications show that it is. 'In deforested areas, the land heats up faster and reaches a higher temperature... that enhance the formation of clouds and ultimately produce more rainfall,' said meteorologist Andrew Negri.