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Published Wednesday, May 27, 2020 Tropical
forests can handle the heat,
up to a point
By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services Tropical forests face an uncertain future under climate change, but new research from the U.K. University of Leeds, suggests they can continue to store large amounts of carbon in a warmer world if countries limit greenhouse gas emissions. The world's tropical forests store a quarter-century worth of fossil fuel emissions in their trees alone. There are fears that global heating can reduce this store if tree growth reduces or tree death increases, accelerating climate change. An international research team measured over half a million trees in 813 forests across the tropics to assess how much carbon is stored by forests growing under different climatic conditions today. The team reveals that tropical forests continue to store high levels of carbon under high temperatures, showing that in the long run these forests can handle heat up to an estimated threshold of 32 degrees Celsius in daytime temperature. Yet this positive finding is only possible if forests have time to adapt, they remain intact, and if global heating is strictly limited to avoid pushing global temperatures into conditions beyond the critical threshold. "Our analysis reveals that up to a certain point of heating tropical forests are surprisingly resistant to small temperature differences. If we limit climate change they can continue to store a large amount of carbon in a warmer world, said lead author Dr Martin Sullivan, from the University of Leeds and Manchester Metropolitan University. "The 32-degree threshold highlights the critical importance of urgently cutting our emissions to avoid pushing too many forests beyond the safety zone." For example, " if we limit global average temperatures to a 2°C increase above pre-industrial levels this pushes nearly three-quarters of tropical forests above the heat threshold we identified. Any further increases in temperature will lead to rapid losses of forest carbon," said Sullivan. Forests release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere when the amount of carbon gained by tree growth is less than that lost through tree mortality and decay. The study is the first to analyze long-term climate sensitivity based on direct observation of whole forests across the topics. The research suggests that over the long-term, the temperature has the greatest effect on forest carbon stocks by reducing growth, with drought killing trees the second key factor. The researchers conclude that tropical forests have long-term capacity to adapt to some climate change, in part because of their high biodiversity as tree species better able to tolerate new climatic conditions grow well and replace less well-adapted species over the long-term. But maximizing this potential climate resilience depends on keeping forests intact. More information on this study can be reached at Leeds University website. --------------------- Should governments create new laws to limit greenhouse gas emissions? We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to news@amcostarica.com |
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