Research
Tropical forests are changing in profound ways that are overlooked when simply studying average temperatures
Earth.com · By Rodielon Putol ·
The Brief
- At two well-studied tropical forests in the Caribbean basin, average temperature has risen only slowly over the past few decades.
- The hottest days have become far more common at these forests, according to the Earth.com report.
Why it matters
Tracking only average temperatures can miss changes in extreme heat, which may matter for how tropical forests function and change.
Who’s affected
- ecologists and forest researchers
- climate scientists
- #tropical forests
- #climate change
- #extreme heat
- #temperature trends
- #ecology
Tropical rainforests experience relatively little temperature variation through the year. At two well-studied forests in the Caribbean basin, the average temperature has risen only slowly over the past few decades. The hottest days, though, have become far more common, and the…