Australia's tropical rainforests are among the first in the world to start emitting more carbon dioxide than they absorb, scientists said Thursday, linking the "very concerning" trend to climate change.

The researchers pored through records charting the growth of Queensland’s rainforests over almost 50 years.

They found that around the year 2000 they began emitting more carbon dioxide from the decay of dead trees than was being taken in and stored by growing trunks and branches.

Modelling showed the main cause was extreme temperatures linked to climate change, and its related effects on the moisture in the atmosphere and drought. Cyclones, which are expected to increase in intensity with climate change, also had an impact.

The findings are in line with some research on the Amazon that showed growing tree deaths weakening the forest’s carbon storage capacity, said David Bauman, a research scientist at the French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development and second author of the study.

“So in that sense our result is not surprising, but the timing… happened earlier than we expected and the effects of the likely climatic drivers (high temperature, drought) are stronger than we expected,” he told AFP.

  • ikt@aussie.zoneOP
    21·
    2 months ago

    does this mean we should start clearing out old forest growth for biofuels or something

    • Lorax@feddit.uk
      7·
      2 months ago

      Definitely not! That would make things soo much worse. Expanding the protection areas and allowing for new growth and encouraging the biodiversity. The environmental impact of forests isn’t limited to carbon. They impact water cycles and ground temperatures as well.