This data package contains data from: Long-term thermal sensitivity of Earth’s tropical forests
This dataset is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC-BY-SA 4.).
When using this data, please cite the original article:
Sullivan et al. (2020) Long-term thermal sensitivity of Earth’s tropical forests. Science DOI: 10.1126/science.aaw7578.
Additionally, please cite the data package:
Data from Sullivan et al. (2020) Long-term thermal sensitivity of Earth’s tropical forests. Science. DOI: 10.1126/science.aaw7578.
ForestPlots.NET DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5521/forestplots.net/2020_2
Abstract
The sensitivity of tropical forest carbon to climate is a key uncertainty in predicting global climate change. Although short-term drying and warming are known to affect forests, it is unknown if such effects translate into long-term responses. Here, we analyze 590 permanent plots measured across the tropics to derive the equilibrium climate controls on forest carbon. Maximum temperature is the most important predictor of aboveground biomass (−9.1 megagrams of carbon per hectare per degree Celsius), primarily by reducing woody productivity, and has a greater rate of decline in the hottest forests (>32.2°C). Our results nevertheless reveal greater thermal resilience than observations of short-term variation imply. To realize the long-term climate adaptation potential of tropical forests requires both protecting them and stabilizing Earth’s climate.
