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Australia's rainforests are the first to switch from carbon sink to carbon source, study warns
From phys.org
The trunks and branches of trees in Australia's tropical rainforests—also known as woody biomass—have become a net source of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, according to a new international study.
According to the team behind the Nature study, which includes experts from The Australian National University (ANU), Australia's wet tropics are the first globally to show this response to climate change. The rising temperature, air dryness and droughts caused by human-driven climate change are likely the major culprits.
Usually, tropical forests absorb more carbon than they release—what's known as a carbon sink. Woody biomass plays a key role in this process, alongside forest canopies and soils.
But lead author Dr. Hannah Carle, from Western Sydney University, said the capacity of woody biomass to continue working as a carbon sink is at risk.
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