Droughts may affect forest’s ability to take in carbon dioxide: NUS study
March 25, 2022
With carbon dioxide (CO2) accumulating in the atmosphere, excess heat is trapped on Earth, causing weather patterns to change. Climate scientists have warned that drought events could become more intense and frequent as the global temperature continues to rise.
In ‘Droughts may affect forest’s ability to take in carbon dioxide: NUS study’ (Straits Times, March 2022), a study conducted by Assistant Professor Luo Xiangzhong (NUS Department of Geography) found that the amount of CO2 taken in by land ecosystems, such as forests, could be linked to the availability of water.
Tropical forests are integral to the global carbon cycle, as they take in CO2 through photosynthesis, converting carbon into sugars that are stored in tree trunks, leaves, or soil. There are three tropical forest basins in the world, each located in the Amazon, Congo, and Southeast Asia. These forests absorb roughly 25 percent of the emissions from human activities, though the exact amount of CO2 that forests take in and release vary from year to year.
Asst Prof Luo found that the decrease in global carbon variability in the past two decades can be attributed to the decrease in drought in tropical Asia. According to him, the tropical rainforests in Southeast Asia are carbon-dense and have larger carbon fluxes.
Though it is often assumed that ecosystems can fully recover to their normal status after extreme droughts, these droughts may cause long-lasting impacts, such as a higher possibility of fires or decomposition of deadwood – processes which release carbon, even after droughts end.
Professor Koh Lian Pin (NUS Centre for Nature-based Climate Solutions and Faculty of Science) added that extreme water deficits from droughts may worsen carbon emissions, compounding the negative effects of deforestation and forest degradation.
Read the article here.
Read about the study here.
