A mega-experiment in Brazil will evaluate how tropical rain forests absorb carbon as emissions increase.
rain forests
Monitoring Moisture from Afar
Undisturbed tropical rain forests are experiencing more frequent droughts, but the ecosystems are isolated and difficult to assess. Scientists are using remote sensing to expand the depth and scope of monitoring efforts.
Tree Mortality Risk Surges in Australian Rain Forests
Researchers link vulnerability to “atmospheric drought” associated with climate change.
Los beneficios climáticos de los bosques van mucho más allá del secuestro de carbono
Los bosques son “esencialmente sistemas de aire acondicionado” gracias a procesos biofísicos como la evapotranspiración y la rugosidad del dosel forestal.
Climate Benefits of Forests Go Far Beyond Carbon Sequestration
Forests are “essentially air-conditioning systems” thanks to biophysical processes like evapotranspiration and canopy roughness.
Pollution Is Disrupting Rain Cycles in the Amazon
A team of researchers in Brazil and the United States uncovered the importance of the mechanism of oxidation—a process with the potential to affect climate and precipitation across the tropics.
Deforestation Is Flooding West African Coasts
The lack of trees is contributing to increased rainfall along the coast of southwest Africa, where communities are already vulnerable to flash flooding.
Drop in Rain Forest Productivity Could Speed Future Climate Change
As temperatures rise, tropical forests will become more stressed and photosynthesize less.
Mercury-Based Gold Mining Haunts Peruvian Rain Forests
In Peru, gold mining harms rain forests and human health. Satellite data can now track forest recovery in protected areas and the migration of informal miners to less regulated areas.
Exploring Methane Emissions from Africa’s Tropical Forests
Global methane budgets suffer from a lack of field studies in African forests, but new research sheds light on methane emissions and uptake from upland forests in the Congo Basin.