The postdoctoral research fellow with Western Sydney University’s Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment said the findings could have broader implications for tackling climate change.
While geographically small compared with comparable ecosystems in other parts of the world such as the Amazon, Carle said Australia’s tropical forests occupied a climate space that was “a bit more extreme”.
“It’s a bit drier and warmer than what tropical forests on other continents experience, and so it perhaps lends itself to giving an idea of what we might expect to see elsewhere.”
“It’s a bit more like a climate future.”
While too early to tell if Australia is a true bellwether for comparable ecosystems, the findings build on existing research suggesting tropical rainforests are becoming weaker carbon sinks.
It’s a trend that could pose challenges for a global community reliant on the lush, green landscapes to help keep the climate stable.
“We think a lot about natural ecosystems helping us fight climate change,” Carle said.
“But in this case, I feel like the science suggests that we need to do something about climate change in order to protect the capacity of these ecosystems to help us mitigate it.”
The study lands before the next United Nations climate talks, taking place in the Amazonian city of Belem in Brazil, and follows record highs for atmospheric carbon dioxide reported by the World Meteorological Organisation.
All signatories of the Paris agreement, including Australia, have submitted updated pollution-cutting targets or are due to do so before the global climate conference in November.