Trees face “climate-induced mortality,” according to the study.
Brazil’s rainforests have begun to release more carbon than they absorb, as the warming climate kills more trees, the researchers said.
Forests play an important role in the climate fight for their ability to absorb carbon dioxide from the Earth’s atmosphere, but the dry, warm seasonal forests of southeastern Brazil have progressively absorbed less carbon as they release more over time, with the region shifting. ” from a carbon sink to a carbon source ”in 2013, according to a study published Friday in Science.
The study found that the region recorded a 2.6% decrease in carbon gains per year and a concurrent 3.4% increase in carbon losses. The researchers studied 33 years of data from the region. The driest and warmest forests face the highest increase in carbon dioxide emissions, as higher temperatures kill more trees.
Previous studies of the Amazon rainforest have shown that increasing the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere can increase plant growth and, as a result, carbon storage, but data show that seasonal rainforests do not have similar results, the researchers said.
Until 2013, Brazil was the largest source of carbon emissions due to brutal deforestation, and seasonal and seasonal rainforests are particularly sensitive to climate change due to the periodic droughts they already face naturally, according to the study.
The authors concluded that conservation policies are needed for Brazil’s driest and warmest forest sites, as well as policy actions to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions to prevent further damage to tropical forests.