Warming Climate Pushes Southeast Asia’s Forests Near Thermal Limits

Photosynthesis Fails as Tropical Canopy Temperatures Spike

A new analysis has identified 57 million hectares of tropical forest across Southeast Asia that have breached the thermal threshold for effective photosynthesis. This physiological collapse threatens to flip these massive ecosystems from vital carbon sinks into active carbon sources.

The Breaking Point for Forest Metabolism

During periods of extreme heat, particularly those exacerbated by El Niño events, the capacity of these 57 million hectares of forest to mitigate climate change is severely compromised.

Southeast Asia’s Heightened Vulnerability

Southeast Asia is a primary area of concern.

The long-term viability of these ecosystems is now in question.

Rewriting the Global Carbon Model

Previous models operated on the assumption that tropical forests would remain reliable carbon sinks as long as they stayed intact. The new data suggests that rising atmospheric temperatures could render that assumption inaccurate.

The Path Toward High-Resolution Monitoring

For now, these findings serve as a baseline for ecologists and policy experts assessing the resilience of tropical biomes.