When talk is of important ecosystems, tropical forests are top of the list. After all, half of the carbon stored in all of the Earth's vegetation is contained in these ecosystems. Deforestation has a correspondingly fatal effect. Scientists estimate that this releases 1000 million tonnes of carbon every year, which, in the form of greenhouse gasses, drives up global temperatures. That is not all, however, reveals a new study by the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) and the University of Maryland. A team of scientists has discovered that fragmentation of formerly contiguous areas of forest leads to carbon emissions rising by another third. Researchers emphasise in the scientific journal Nature Communications that this previously neglected effect should be taken into account in future IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) reports.
When talk is of important ecosystems, tropical forests are top of the list. After all, half of the carbon stored in all of the Earth's vegetation is contained in these ecosystems. Deforestation has a correspondingly fatal effect. Scientists estimate that this releases 1000 million tonnes of carbon every year, which, in the form of greenhouse gasses, drives up global temperatures. That is not all, however, reveals a new study by the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) and the University of Maryland. A team of scientists has discovered that fragmentation of formerly contiguous areas of forest leads to carbon emissions rising by another third. Researchers emphasise in the scientific journal Nature Communications that this previously neglected effect should be taken into account in future IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) reports.
Mile upon mile of impenetrable green. When researchers travelled through the tropical rain forests of South America, Asia or Africa in centuries gone by, just making headway was a challenge in itself. Rivers were often the only transport links, roads were out of the question in many places. There were also huge areas where humans had not yet left their mark: no settlements or farmland, no deforestation or plantations for miles around.
The picture has changed since then, though. Human activity has cut clearings and trails through the once contiguous tropical forests. But just how far advanced is this fragmentation? And what are the implications for the carbon cycle and therefore for the global climate? These questions were explored by the team headed by UFZ researchers Prof. Andreas Huth and Dr. Rico Fischer in a new study arising from the Helmholtz Alliance "Remote Sensing and Earth System Dynamics".
Continue reading at Helmholtz Centre For Environmental Research – UFZ
Photo: Worldwide carbon emissions due to fragmentation of tropical forests. Shading represents the estimated carbon losses for each fragment, setting edge depth to 100 m and relative carbon losses in forest edges to 50%. (Credits: UFZ)
