Tropical rainforests may not be known for their cool climates, but they are known for keeping the climate cool. Storing an estimated 25% of the world’s carbon, tropical forests play a leading role in soaking up human-caused greenhouse gas emissions. The Amazon forest alone sequesters an estimated 90 to 140 billion tons of carbon, the equivalent of 9 to 14 decades of human CO2 emissions.
While scientists know tropical rainforests play a pivotal role in regulating the world’s climate, they still have a lot to learn about what global warming means for the future of those forests. But two recent studies have provided surprising revelations that could clarify our views on the interaction between climate change and tropical forests going forward.
The first study published in Nature suggests bad news: that a hotter climate could release a great deal more carbon from tropical soils than previously assumed. This means, alongside human fossil fuel emissions, tropical forests could become another potent contributor to global warming once the climate heats up past a certain threshold.
Another recent study published in Science offers some good news: finding that the tropics could in future serve as a powerful carbon sink, if degraded forests are actively restored. Active tropical forest restoration could be a key tool for lowering atmospheric CO2 concentrations, reversing the greenhouse effect to some degree, and helping moderate global temperatures.
https://news-mongabay-com.cdn.amppr...ge-reforestation-could-lessen-it-studies/amp/
While scientists know tropical rainforests play a pivotal role in regulating the world’s climate, they still have a lot to learn about what global warming means for the future of those forests. But two recent studies have provided surprising revelations that could clarify our views on the interaction between climate change and tropical forests going forward.
The first study published in Nature suggests bad news: that a hotter climate could release a great deal more carbon from tropical soils than previously assumed. This means, alongside human fossil fuel emissions, tropical forests could become another potent contributor to global warming once the climate heats up past a certain threshold.
Another recent study published in Science offers some good news: finding that the tropics could in future serve as a powerful carbon sink, if degraded forests are actively restored. Active tropical forest restoration could be a key tool for lowering atmospheric CO2 concentrations, reversing the greenhouse effect to some degree, and helping moderate global temperatures.
https://news-mongabay-com.cdn.amppr...ge-reforestation-could-lessen-it-studies/amp/