Climate Change Altering Absorption of CO2 by Forests in East Asia, Study Says

Two Japanese research institutes -- the National Institute for Environmental Studies and the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology -- released April 23, 2008, the results of a study on the absorption of carbon dioxide (CO2) by forests in the region, which showed that it varied seasonally depending on the type of forest and was being greatly affected by global climate change each year. The study was conducted jointly by Japanese universities and research institutes to measure and estimate the amount of CO2 absorbed over the past few years by forests in East Asian countries such as Japan, Russia, Mongolia, Malaysia, and Thailand.

The research clearly showed that soil in the tropical monsoon forests of Southeast Asia, made drier due to protracted dry seasons and decreases in precipitation, showed evidence of lower levels of photosynthesis occurring and increased CO2 levels. The study also showed that the amount of CO2 absorbed by forests in various climate zones rose linearly in proportion to increases in annual mean temperatures, while the amount of CO2 emitted by plant respiration and organic soil decomposition grew exponentially. The study said that these features differed greatly from those of forests in western countries.

It also revealed that these specific characteristics of CO2 absorption are occurring for the first time in forests in a wide range of climate zones. Researchers said it is essential to continue monitoring the link between the climate and the amount of CO2 absorption by forests that cover a third of the Earth's surface in order to accurately estimate CO2 concentrations and forecast future global climate change.

The results of the study, which was sponsored by the Global Environment Research Fund of the Ministry of the Environment of Japan, were reported by the online journal "Agricultural and Forest Meteorology," issued by Elsevier, an international publisher of science and health information, on February 20, 2008.

http://www.aist.go.jp/index_en.html
http://www.nies.go.jp/gaiyo/bunya/cger-e.html

Posted: 2008/09/14 09:56:42 PM