Research Article
Tropical dry forest land use/land cover change detection using semi-supervised deep learning algorithms and remote sensingBackgroundOpen access copy available |
Remote sensing of drylands: An overviewBackgroundOpen access copy available |
Asian dryland ecohealth progress for land degradation neutralityBackgroundOpen access copy available |
Forest carbon in Amazonia: the unrecognized contribution of indigenous territories and protected natural areasBackgroundAmazonia stores an estimated 80–120 Pg of aboveground carbon, and changes in this stock have global climate implications. Indigenous territories (ITs) and protected natural areas (PNAs) together cover roughly one-third to one-half of the Amazon region, yet their specific contribution to maintaining forest carbon has often been overlooked in regional mitigation discussions. Quantifying their role is important for designing REDD+, climate finance, and land rights policies that reflect on-the-ground conservation performance. Open access copy available |
Overestimated natural biological nitrogen fixation translates to an exaggerated CO2 fertilization effectBackgroundBiological nitrogen fixation (BNF) supplies a substantial fraction of reactive nitrogen of ecosystems, typically estimated in the tens to over 100 Tg N yr⁻¹ globally, thus constraining how strongly plants can respond to rising CO2. Many Earth system models (ESMs) parameterize BNF such that nitrogen does not strongly limit CO2 fertilization, potentially inflating modelled land carbon sinks and underestimating future atmospheric CO2 concentrations. Quantifying this bias is important for realistic carbon budget and mitigation assessments. Open access copy available |
Emerging climate impact on carbon sinks in a consolidated carbon budgetBackgroundOpen access copy available |
Harnessing Biomass and Blue Carbon Potential: Estimating Carbon Stocks in the Vital Wetlands of Eastern Sumatra, IndonesiaBackgroundMangrove forests can store significantly more carbon per hectare than other tropical forests, making mangrove conservation an important strategy for climate change mitigation. Since mangrove forests are highly heterogeneous, site-specific observations and models are important to inform mangrove conservation. This study combines field observations of living biomass and soil carbon stocks with mathematical models to document the potential for mangrove conservation to sustain important carbon sinks in Indonesia. Open access copy available |
Realizing the social value of impermanent carbon creditsBackgroundNature-based solutions (NbS) for carbon sequestration provide additional benefits outside of climate change mitigation, such as protecting biodiversity and local livelihoods. However, NbS projects struggle with financing due to challenges demonstrating additionality, avoiding overestimation of carbon storage, establishing metrics to compare NbS with technological projects, and accounting for project impermanence (i.e., the future risk of carbon being released into the atmosphere due to fires, deforestation, disease, or severe weather events). Open access copy available |
Aboveground and belowground tree biomass and carbon stocks in the miombo woodlands of the Copperbelt in ZambiaBackgroundMiombo Woodlands occupy an estimated 2.7 million km² across southern Africa and support millions of people through fuelwood, charcoal, and non-timber products, while also storing substantial carbon. In Zambia’s Copperbelt Province, woodland conversion and degradation for charcoal and agriculture risk reducing carbon stocks, but local biomass values are poorly constrained, leading to uncertainty in national estimates and REDD+ baselines. This study responds to the need for site-specific biomass and carbon data in one of Zambia’s most industrialized and heavily used miombo regions. Open access copy available |
Global Carbon Budget 2023Background“Global Carbon Budget 2023” extends this annual budget series with data up to 2022 and a projection for 2023, including for the first time explicit treatment of carbon dioxide removal (CDR) and new constraints from atmospheric oxygen measurements. Atmospheric CO2 averages 417.1 ± 0.1 ppm in 2022 and is projected to reach about 419.3 ppm in 2023, reflecting continued net accumulation despite temporary pandemic-related emission reductions. Open access copy available |
