Tropical Forests Near Critical Climate Threshold as Drought Stress Intensifies
New research suggests that tropical forests across South America, Africa, and Southeast Asia are experiencing a steady rise in drought stress, raising concerns that some regions may be approaching a critical ecological threshold beyond which forest systems could weaken significantly or shift to alternative ecosystems.
The study, published in geophysical Research Letters analyzed nearly four decades of satellite observations and climate records from 1982 to 2019. Researchers found a clear upward trend in vegetation drought stress, driven not only by reduced rainfall in some regions but also by rising temperatures that increase evaporation and atmospheric drying.
Rising drought pressure across the tropics
Tropical forests are highly sensitive to changes in water ...









