FOCUS -- SOUTH AMERICA

potential evapotranspiration are systematic, mainly in the Andes and over deforested regions, due to large-scale processes (e.g., global warming) and changes in the surface energy partitioning, respectively. In southern Peru and Brazil, a decrease in actual evapotranspiration is observed in highly deforested areas due to a reduced access to soil moisture from the deepest root zone. Implications on the water and energy balance were also evaluated, looking at changes in the components of Budyko's theoretical framework. Among these components, the dryness index, i.e., the ratio between potential evapotranspiration and precipitation, indirectly indicates aridity conditions, and a transition from energy to water limited in evapotranspiration. Results suggest that in places with a high ratio of deforestation located in the southern Amazon in Bolivia, the tendency to become a region with savannah-like conditions is significant. In addition, Arias et al. (2020) show that the ongoing warming in tropical North Atlantic, which has intensified since the 1970s, generates changes in surface winds and atmospheric moisture transport in the region. These changes lead to de-The