Long-term thermal sensitivity of earth's tropical forests


Abstract:

The sensitivity of tropical forest carbon to climate is a key uncertainty in predicting global climate change. Although short-term drying and warming are known to affect forests, it is unknown if such effects translate into long-term responses. Here, we analyze 590 permanent plots measured across the tropics to derive the equilibrium climate controls on forest carbon. Maximum temperature is the most important predictor of aboveground biomass (-9.1 megagrams of carbon per hectare per degree Celsius), primarily by reducing woody productivity, and has a greater impact per °C in the hottest forests (>32.2°C). Our results nevertheless reveal greater thermal resilience than observations of short-term variation imply. To realize the long-term climate adaptation potential of tropical forests requires both protecting them and stabilizing Earth's climate.

Año de publicación:

2020

Keywords:

    Fuente:

    scopusscopus
    googlegoogle

    Tipo de documento:

    Article

    Estado:

    Acceso restringido

    Áreas de conocimiento:

    • Cambio climático
    • Clima
    • Clima

    Áreas temáticas de Dewey:

    • Ecología
    • Geología, hidrología, meteorología
    Procesado con IAProcesado con IA

    Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible:

    • ODS 13: Acción por el clima
    • ODS 15: Vida de ecosistemas terrestres
    • ODS 17: Alianzas para lograr los objetivos
    Procesado con IAProcesado con IA