Tropical Forests Face Rising Risks of Critical Temperature Exposure
Tropical forests facing increasing risks of exposure to critical temp thresholds
We analyzed satellite data to map thermal safety margins for thousands of tropical tree species across South America, Southeast Asia, and Central Africa from 2001 to 2020. Our findings reveal a consistent global decline in these margins, with South America experiencing the sharpest drop. As heat waves intensify, vast forest areas are now exceeding critical temperatures that disrupt photosynthesis, threatening biodiversity and global carbon cycles.
Our results indicate declining thermal safety margins and an increasing extent of areas exceeding critical temperatures, underlining the growing exposure to risks to biodiversity in tropical regions.
- rtutz
Climate change already feels chaotic in a sense that earth is heading towards so many tipping points that it is impossible to keep track.
In addition, each aspect resides in a niche of a complex system, difficult to grasp.
AMOC collapse, melting permafrost methane release, species extinction, intense El Niño, ...
All of them are not easily to follow, let alone understand. It's getting wild.
To my surprise, media coverage nowadays is mostly about heat waves as a phenomenon, leaving human impact on it aside.
A couple years ago, I would have expected some kind of awakening with global efforts, but the opposite is the case.
- warumdarum
So wouldnt it make sense to give up on the protect a disneyland of nature idea, and genemodify the rainforrest to adapt to heat? Fast forward around die off,adaption,recovery?
- smallerfish
Anybody have a non paywall link to the paper?