Tag

Aridity

All articles tagged with #aridity

science12 days ago•34 min saved

Tropical forest biomass responds unevenly to climate across continents, shaped by aridity, soils, and storms

A pan-tropical analysis of about 16 million GEDI-derived aboveground biomass estimates from the Amazon, Congo Basin, and Southeast Asia shows climate–biomass relationships are regionally heterogeneous: temperature dominates in drier forests, warming hits the Congo Basin hardest, and water limitation drives the largest declines in Southeast Asia. Across all regions, aridity and soil/topography modify these effects, and storms strongly reduce biomass in the tallest forests, highlighting the need to integrate climate, disturbance, soil, and topography to predict tropical carbon storage.

via Nature|

#aboveground-biomass #aridity #climate-variability

environment2 months ago•2 min saved

Forests' carbon sink may be weaker than photosynthesis alone implies

A study across 137 sites in the US finds tree growth often stops before the growing season ends, meaning wood production—and long‑term carbon storage—can lag behind the apparent carbon uptake from photosynthesis. In eastern sites about 36% of yearly uptake occurs after growth has ceased, and about 26% in California. Dry, hot conditions sharply limit wood growth, suggesting models that link carbon uptake directly to photosynthesis may overestimate future forest carbon sequestration as climate change raises aridity. The researchers plan to test if this decoupling occurs in other species and regions.

via The Guardian|

#aridity #carbon-sinks #environment