[ptrikha21]

The Australian tropical forests are sadly making headlines for a disheartening reason: they've flipped from being a crucial carbon sink to a net carbon source. Essentially, they're now releasing more carbon dioxide than they absorb, which is a worrying global first for this type of ecosystem.This problematic shift is largely attributed to climate change stressors. Scientists have found that increasing tree mortality, driven by increasingly extreme temperatures and severe droughts, outweighs new growth.

When trees die and decay, they release their stored carbon back into the atmosphere. This is compounded by the damage from more frequent and intense tropical cyclones, which further reduces the forests' ability to sequester carbon. The findings challenge the assumption that higher CO2 levels will simply stimulate faster tree growth to compensate for emissions.

The decline in these forests’ capacity has significant implications, potentially undermining global efforts to mitigate climate change and suggesting that current climate models may be overly optimistic about the role of tropical forests as carbon offsets.

Source: Nature, The Hindustan Times
#ClimateChange #Environment


Image : taken from the newspaper

Oz_Forest_Losing_carbon_Sink.png (607.1 KiB) Viewed 11 times

[Netherrealmer]

Here's what I know. To fight climate change, tropical locations need more trees, but colder locations need more grass. Because dead trees can cause carbon in cold places. That's what I remember, if my memory serves me right.

[germainebull]

Here's what I know. To fight climate change, tropical locations need more trees, but colder locations need more grass. Because dead trees can cause carbon in cold places. That's what I remember, if my memory serves me right.

About dead grass?

[Netherrealmer]

In cold areas, grass does not have a huge carbon footprint. One of the reasons why scientists want to clone mammoths and bring them back is because they can bring back grass in some cold areas.

[germainebull]

One of the reasons why scientists want to clone mammoths and bring them back is because they can bring back grass in some cold areas.

Indeed. Scientists dream of bringing back mammoths because of their ecological contribution. Mammoths helped spread seeds and develop grasses in very cold regions. Without them, some areas would have turned into lifeless ice.

By bringing them back, there is hope of reviving ancient ecosystems and helping to reduce the amount of carbon in the world. Grasses can absorb carbon and help to reduce global warming. This is a scientific way to right historical wrongs.