Deforestation drives climate change that harms remaining forest

Date:
April 12, 2022
Source:
University of California - Irvine
Summary:
Scientists using climate models and satellite data reveal for
the first time how protecting tropical forests can yield climate
benefits that enhance carbon storage in nearby areas.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
In a paper published today in Nature Communications,a team led by
scientists from the University of California, Irvine, using climate
models and satellite data, reveal for the first time how protecting
tropical forests can yield climate benefits that enhance carbon storage
in nearby areas.


==========================================================================
Many climate scientists use computer simulations to mimic the planet's
climate as it exists today and how it may exist in the future as humanity
keeps emitting greenhouse gases. Such models rely on accurate measurements
all the moving parts of the climate system, from how much sunlight hits
and warms the climate, to the response of forest biomass to changes in temperature, rainfall and atmospheric carbon dioxide levels.

The list of moving parts is long, and one part that has until now remained unmeasured is the degree to which deforestation in tropical rainforests
like the Amazon and the Congo contributes to additional forest losses
because of its effect on regional climate.

"We used Earth system models to quantify what the climate impact
from tropical deforestation is today," said lead author Yue Li, UCI postdoctoral researcher in Earth system science. "Then, we used this information with satellite observations of forest biomass to figure out
how nearby forests are responding to these changes." Jim Randerson,
UCI professor of Earth system science, added: "This paper shows that
avoiding deforestation yields carbon benefits in nearby regions as a consequence of climate feedbacks." He explained that for a new patch of deforestation in the Amazon, the regional climate changes that happen as
a result led to an additional 5.1 percent more loss of total biomass in
the entire Amazon basin. In the Congo, the additional biomass loss from
the climate effects of deforestation is about 3.8 percent.

Tropical forests store about 200 petagrams of carbon in their aboveground biomass. Since 2010, deforestation has been removing about 1 petagram of
that carbon every year. (One petagram is equal to 1 trillion kilograms.)
Until now, climate modelers have, for lack of data, not considered tree mortality in their climate simulations. But by combining satellite data
with climate variables, they obtained information about how sensitive
carbon stored in vegetation is to climatic changes that result from tree mortality and fire.

"Deforestation has ramifications to forests growing elsewhere, because
its consequences to the region's air temperature and precipitation," said co-author Paulo Brando, UCI professor of Earth system science. "Until
recently, it was very difficult to isolate the effects of deforestation though." By developing new estimates of regional carbon losses from deforestation-driven climate change in the Amazon and the Congo, the
team provided information that will help scientists fine tune their
models. This "might help us design better climate solutions," Randerson
said. By knowing exactly how much biomass is being lost through this
activity, he explained, policymakers can make stronger arguments for
why it's worthwhile to curb deforestation, because they can now better
describe the knock-on effects.

Joining Brando, Li and Randerson on this project, which was funded by
the U.S.

Department of Energy Office of Science and NASA, were Dave Lawrence at
the National Center for Atmospheric Research and Hui Yang from the Max
Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry in Germany.


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by
University_of_California_-_Irvine. Note: Content may be edited for style
and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Yue Li, Paulo M. Brando, Douglas C. Morton, David M. Lawrence,
Hui Yang,
James T. Randerson. Deforestation-induced climate change reduces
carbon storage in remaining tropical forests. Nature Communications,
2022; 13 (1) DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-29601-0 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/04/220412203115.htm

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