Impact of a tropical forest blowdown on aboveground carbon balance

Abstract Field measurements demonstrate a carbon sink in the Amazon and Congo basins, but the cause of this sink is uncertain. One possibility is that forest landscapes are experiencing transient recovery from previous disturbance. Attributing the carbon sink to transient recovery or other processes...

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Autores principales:	K. C. Cushman, John T. Burley, Benedikt Imbach, Sassan S. Saatchi, Carlos E. Silva, Orlando Vargas, Carlo Zgraggen, James R. Kellner
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	Nature Portfolio 2021
Materias:	Medicine R Science Q
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/28723270b61340e780f6f1bcd7d11454
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:28723270b61340e780f6f1bcd7d114542021-12-02T15:49:40ZImpact of a tropical forest blowdown on aboveground carbon balance10.1038/s41598-021-90576-x2045-2322https://doaj.org/article/28723270b61340e780f6f1bcd7d114542021-05-01T00:00:00Zhttps://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-90576-xhttps://doaj.org/toc/2045-2322Abstract Field measurements demonstrate a carbon sink in the Amazon and Congo basins, but the cause of this sink is uncertain. One possibility is that forest landscapes are experiencing transient recovery from previous disturbance. Attributing the carbon sink to transient recovery or other processes is challenging because we do not understand the sensitivity of conventional remote sensing methods to changes in aboveground carbon density (ACD) caused by disturbance events. Here we use ultra-high-density drone lidar to quantify the impact of a blowdown disturbance on ACD in a lowland rain forest in Costa Rica. We show that the blowdown decreased ACD by at least 17.6%, increased the number of canopy gaps, and altered the gap size-frequency distribution. Analyses of a canopy-height transition matrix indicate departure from steady-state conditions. This event will initiate a transient sink requiring an estimated 24–49 years to recover pre-disturbance ACD. Our results suggest that blowdowns of this magnitude and extent can remain undetected by conventional satellite optical imagery but are likely to alter ACD decades after they occur.K. C. CushmanJohn T. BurleyBenedikt ImbachSassan S. SaatchiCarlos E. SilvaOrlando VargasCarlo ZgraggenJames R. KellnerNature PortfolioarticleMedicineRScienceQENScientific Reports, Vol 11, Iss 1, Pp 1-9 (2021)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	Medicine R Science Q
spellingShingle	Medicine R Science Q K. C. Cushman John T. Burley Benedikt Imbach Sassan S. Saatchi Carlos E. Silva Orlando Vargas Carlo Zgraggen James R. Kellner Impact of a tropical forest blowdown on aboveground carbon balance
description	Abstract Field measurements demonstrate a carbon sink in the Amazon and Congo basins, but the cause of this sink is uncertain. One possibility is that forest landscapes are experiencing transient recovery from previous disturbance. Attributing the carbon sink to transient recovery or other processes is challenging because we do not understand the sensitivity of conventional remote sensing methods to changes in aboveground carbon density (ACD) caused by disturbance events. Here we use ultra-high-density drone lidar to quantify the impact of a blowdown disturbance on ACD in a lowland rain forest in Costa Rica. We show that the blowdown decreased ACD by at least 17.6%, increased the number of canopy gaps, and altered the gap size-frequency distribution. Analyses of a canopy-height transition matrix indicate departure from steady-state conditions. This event will initiate a transient sink requiring an estimated 24–49 years to recover pre-disturbance ACD. Our results suggest that blowdowns of this magnitude and extent can remain undetected by conventional satellite optical imagery but are likely to alter ACD decades after they occur.
format	article
author	K. C. Cushman John T. Burley Benedikt Imbach Sassan S. Saatchi Carlos E. Silva Orlando Vargas Carlo Zgraggen James R. Kellner
author_facet	K. C. Cushman John T. Burley Benedikt Imbach Sassan S. Saatchi Carlos E. Silva Orlando Vargas Carlo Zgraggen James R. Kellner
author_sort	K. C. Cushman
title	Impact of a tropical forest blowdown on aboveground carbon balance
title_short	Impact of a tropical forest blowdown on aboveground carbon balance
title_full	Impact of a tropical forest blowdown on aboveground carbon balance
title_fullStr	Impact of a tropical forest blowdown on aboveground carbon balance
title_full_unstemmed	Impact of a tropical forest blowdown on aboveground carbon balance
title_sort	impact of a tropical forest blowdown on aboveground carbon balance
publisher	Nature Portfolio
publishDate	2021
url	https://doaj.org/article/28723270b61340e780f6f1bcd7d11454
work_keys_str_mv	AT kccushman impactofatropicalforestblowdownonabovegroundcarbonbalance AT johntburley impactofatropicalforestblowdownonabovegroundcarbonbalance AT benediktimbach impactofatropicalforestblowdownonabovegroundcarbonbalance AT sassanssaatchi impactofatropicalforestblowdownonabovegroundcarbonbalance AT carlosesilva impactofatropicalforestblowdownonabovegroundcarbonbalance AT orlandovargas impactofatropicalforestblowdownonabovegroundcarbonbalance AT carlozgraggen impactofatropicalforestblowdownonabovegroundcarbonbalance AT jamesrkellner impactofatropicalforestblowdownonabovegroundcarbonbalance
_version_	1718385679797321728

Impact of a tropical forest blowdown on aboveground carbon balance

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