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Australian Rainforests Now Emit More Carbon Than They Absorb
Australia's wet tropics have shifted from absorbing to releasing 0.9 tonnes of carbon per hectare annually due to climate-driven tree mortality and increased cyclone disturbances, researchers said.
- About 25 years ago a shift began in Australia's wet tropics, and a new Nature study finds Australia's tropical rainforests now release more carbon than they absorb, the first recorded case globally.
- Rising temperatures and a drying atmosphere have increased tree mortality from extreme heat, drought and atmospheric dryness linked to climate change, while tropical cyclones further suppress woody biomass carbon absorption, Dr Carle said.
- Analysis across 20 sites shows woody biomass now emits 930kg of carbon per hectare annually, reversing earlier absorption of 620kg. The sites are now a carbon source.
- Dr Hannah Carle warned, `Current models may overestimate the capacity of tropical forests to help offset fossil fuel emissions`, and this trend could undermine global emissions-reduction targets.
- By contrast, the Amazon rainforest — covering 600 million hectares — has not shown this switch, and Dr Heather Keith, Griffith University forest ecologist, said, `Maintaining the global carbon budget depends on retaining stable carbon stocks in ecosystems`.
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The tropical forests of Australia are the first in the world to emit more carbon dioxide than they absorb, reveals a study published on Wednesday in Nature magazine, linking this "very worrying" phenomenon with climate change.
·Montreal, Canada
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Australian rainforests no longer a carbon sink: Study
SYDNEY: Australia's tropical rainforests are among the first in the world to start leaking more carbon dioxide than they absorb, scientists said on Thursday (Oct 16) as they linked the worrying trend to climate change. The world's rainforests are typically thought of as
·Singapore
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Daily Journal+43 Reposted by 43 other sources
Australian rainforests no longer a carbon sink: study
Australia's tropical rainforests are among the first in the world to start leaking more carbon dioxide than they absorb, scientists said Thursday as they linked the worrying trend to climate change.
·Cherokee County, United States
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources62
Leaning Left9Leaning Right9Center15Last UpdatedBias Distribution46% Center
Bias Distribution
- 46% of the sources are Center
46% Center
L 27%
C 46%
R 27%
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