Overview
- Nearly five decades of plot data (1971–2019) from 20 Queensland rainforest sites tracking about 11,000 trees underpinned the analysis.
- Aboveground woody biomass shifted from gaining roughly 0.6 tonnes of carbon per hectare per year before 2000 to losing about 0.9 tonnes by 2010–2019.
- Researchers attribute the change to increased mortality tied to extreme heat, atmospheric drying, drought and cyclone damage.
- Cyclones were found to suppress carbon uptake for years after impact, raising concern as storm intensity is projected to increase with warming.
- The study measures trunks and branches only, leaving roots and soils unquantified, and experts warn the result could upend carbon budgets and policy assumptions if similar patterns emerge elsewhere.