Rainforests: From Climate Saviors to Carbon Emitters?
A new study suggests that tropical rainforests, crucial in combating climate change, may instead exacerbate it by releasing significant amounts of carbon dioxide. Researchers found that as global temperatures rise, rainforest soils emit more carbon, transforming them from carbon sinks into carbon sources, accelerating global warming.
- Country:
- India
A recent study indicates that tropical rainforests, vital for climate change mitigation, may paradoxically contribute to global warming by emitting substantial volumes of carbon dioxide. Researchers, including those from Chapman University, assert that increased soil temperatures in these forests lead to higher carbon emissions, potentially converting them into carbon sources.
The study, published in Nature Communications, evaluated soil respiration rates in a Puerto Rican rainforest subjected to a global temperature rise of 4 degrees Celsius. The findings revealed that soil respiration rates rose by 42-204% in warmed areas compared to ambient ones, marking some of the highest rates recorded in terrestrial ecosystems.
With soils storing more carbon than both the atmosphere and land plants combined, this shift is alarming. It suggests that these ecosystems, once trusted to stabilize the climate, may now amplify the planet's warming. Continued emissions and global warming threaten to worsen climate effects, impacting sea levels, extreme weather, and even public health.
(With inputs from agencies.)
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