Australia’s Tropical Forests Turn from Carbon Sink to Carbon Source

On 15th October 2025, scientists published a study, revealing that forests in Australia’s tropical north have become the world’s first to shift from a carbon sink to a carbon source.

Findings of the Study

  • Shift Timeline: Forests in northeastern Australia, including Queensland, switched from storing to emitting carbon around the year 2000.
  • Carbon Balance Change:
    • 1971–2000: Forests acted as a carbon sink, accumulating 0.62 Mg C ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹.
    • Post-2000: Shifted to a carbon source, losing -0.93 Mg C ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹.

Causes and Climate Drivers

  • Rising temperature anomalies intensified vapour pressure deficit (VPD) and maximum climatological water deficit (MCWD).
  • These trends, linked to anthropogenic climate ....
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Ecology & Environment