PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Thunderstorms are a major driver of tree death in tropical forests

Cary-led paper reveals an underestimated and growing threat to tropical forests and the carbon they store

2025-07-01
(Press-News.org) Trees in tropical forests are dying at an increased rate, with consequences for biodiversity, carbon storage, and the global climate. While deforestation is the primary cause of forest loss, intact forests are also experiencing a rise in tree death. Drought, higher temperatures, and fires have been the leading suspects, but a new paper led by Evan Gora, a forest ecologist at Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, identifies an underappreciated threat: thunderstorms, which are becoming more frequent with climate change.

Not to be confused with hurricanes or cyclones, these convective storms tend to be short-lived but powerful, with tree-toppling winds and lightning. In a perspective paper in Ecology Letters, Gora and colleagues lay out the case for why such storms could be a major driving force behind the rising death toll of tropical trees. As they become more common in the warming tropics, thunderstorms are a growing threat to trees and the carbon they store.

“Tropical forests have massive effects on global climate. They're like the lungs of the Earth, and we're seeing trees in them dying at higher rates than in the past, and the composition of forests is changing, too,” said Gora. “That could be really problematic for the future of not just tropical forests, but for the planet.” 

Understanding what’s causing the trends in tree death is critical to guiding decisions about which tree species to plant or conserve in a forest, so that forest managers can ensure forests continue thriving and storing carbon long into the future.

“Being in the forest during a tropical storm is unforgettable,” said coauthor Vanessa Rubio, a forest ecologist in Gora’s lab at Cary Institute. “As the storm quickly builds, the sky darkens, humidity changes drastically, and strong winds shake the trees. Then, thunder and lightning come. Leaves and branches fall to the ground, rain pours down, and your instinct is to get back to the field station as quickly as possible.” 

Despite their obvious danger to people, storms had been overlooked and understudied as a potential culprit in tree mortality trends. But when the team reanalyzed data from previous studies on tropical forest carbon stocks, they found that storms were at least as good as drought and temperature in explaining the patterns of tree mortality and forest carbon storage. 

“We were surprised to find that storms may be the largest single factor causing tree death in these forests, and they’re largely overlooked by research into carbon storage in the tropics,” said Gora. “Our estimates suggest that storms are responsible for 30 to 60% of tree mortality in the past, and that number must be increasing as storm activity increases by 5 to 25% each decade.”

The team also added storms to the largest plot-based study of forest biomass carbon dynamics to date. That study had previously concluded that when temperatures go above a certain threshold, tropical forests experience a fast decline in carbon stocks. “But when you add storms, that relationship goes away,” said Gora. “It basically shows that you have to include storms, or you might not get the answers right.”

Storms and droughts are not mutually exclusive, the scientists note — the same forests can experience both high storm activity and drought stress. They found high convective storm activity across the southern Amazon, where water stress is also high and patterns of change are among the most extreme.

“During my studies on threats to tropical forests, my professors, our textbooks, and even overall climate policy never mentioned small, convective storms as a potential source of forest mortality,” said coauthor Ian McGregor, a Cary Institute forest ecologist in Gora’s lab. “I don't remember seeing them in global climate models used to inform climate policy. Given our findings, however, it's clear we need a more thorough understanding of these storms to have more accurate climate models, and thus more effective policy.” 

There are good reasons why scientists have overlooked storms until now. Temperature and water stress can be monitored with meteorological stations and readily connected to long-term forest plot data. It is much harder to detect storms and track their highly localized damage. Mortality caused by thunderstorms is not easily detected via satellite, and it’s not practical for researchers on foot to survey large forested areas frequently enough to pinpoint the damage caused by a specific storm. 

Gigante, a project led by Gora and co-author Adriane Esquivel-Muelbert from the University of Birmingham, offers one way to overcome these challenges. The project combines a lightning location system, drone scouts, and on-the-ground experts to sample large areas of tropical forest frequently. With these tools, they are starting to quantify when, where, and why tropical trees are dying, and which species are most affected.

Understanding current and future threats to tropical forests is crucial to informing long-term conservation and restoration efforts. 

“If we make decisions about which species to plant or conserve based on an incorrect understanding of what's actually killing these trees and which species are most vulnerable, those forests won’t reach their full potential,” said Gora. Storms are most deadly to mature trees, so the consequences of misguided reforestation efforts might not be known until decades after the trees are planted.

“However,” Gora continued, “if we can build a more holistic picture of what’s driving forest change, we can be a lot more confident in guiding forest management practices for long-term sustainability.”

x

 

Authors

Evan M. Gora - Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute

Ian R. McGregor - Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies

Helene C. Muller-Landau - Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute

Jeffrey C. Burchfield - University of Alabama, Huntsville

KC Cushman - Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Vanessa E. Rubio - Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies

Gisele Biem Mori - National Institute for Amazon Research, Universidade do Estado de Mato Grosso

Martin J. P. Sullivan -  Manchester Metropolitan University

Matthew W. Chmielewski - University of Louisville

Adriane Esquivel-Muelbert - University of Birmingham

x

Funding was provided in part by the National Science Foundation (NSF) grants DEB-2213245 and DEB-2241507 to EMG, and NE/W003872/1 to MS and EMG. AE-M was further funded by the Royal Society Standard Grant RGS\R1\221115 ‘MegaFlora’, the UK Research and Innovation/Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) TreeScapes NE/V021346/1 ‘MEMBRA’, the NERC/NSF Gigante NE/Y003942/1, and the Foundation for Research on Biodiversity/Centre for the Synthesis and Analysis of Biodiversity ‘Syntreesys’.

x

Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies is an independent nonprofit center for environmental research. Since 1983, our scientists have been investigating the complex interactions that govern the natural world and the impacts of climate change on these systems. Our findings lead to more effective resource management, policy actions, and environmental literacy. Staff are global experts in the ecology of: cities, disease, forests, and freshwater.

 

 

END


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Danforth Plant Science Center adds two new faculty members

2025-07-01
ST. LOUIS, MO, July 1, 2025– The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center today announced two new faculty members. Justin Conover, PhD, joined as assistant member and Erin Sparks, PhD, joined as associate member at the Danforth Center and associate professor at the University of Missouri – Columbia (MU) a joint hire between the Danforth Center and MU. “We’re excited to welcome two exceptional scientists who will add new expertise and complement several research areas at the Danforth Center,” ...

Robotic eyes mimic human vision for superfast response to extreme lighting

2025-07-01
WASHINGTON, July 1, 2025 — In blinding bright light or pitch-black dark, our eyes can adjust to extreme lighting conditions within a few minutes. The human vision system, including the eyes, neurons, and brain, can also learn and memorize settings to adapt faster the next time we encounter similar lighting challenges. In an article published this week in Applied Physics Letters, by AIP Publishing, researchers at Fuzhou University in China created a machine vision sensor that uses quantum dots to adapt to extreme changes in light far faster than the human eye can ...

Racial inequities and access to COVID-19 treatment

2025-07-01
About The Study: This cross-sectional study found that racial and ethnic disparities in COVID-19 treatment are substantial and partially explainable by encounter-level factors, particularly differences in diagnostic test type, virtual care access, and site of care. These findings suggest that targeted interventions, including expanding rapid test access and virtual care, may improve equity in outpatient COVID-19 treatment.  Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Rebecca Bromley-Dulfano, MS, email rbromleydulfano@g.harvard.edu. To ...

Residential segregation and lung cancer risk in African American adults

2025-07-01
About The Study: The results of this study suggest that structural racism embedded in neighborhood conditions contributes to lung cancer development and provides evidence for policymakers and public health leaders working to reduce disparities.  Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Loretta Erhunmwunsee, MD, email LorettaE@coh.org. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.18481) Editor’s ...

Scientists wipe out aggressive brain cancer tumors by targeting cellular ‘motors’

2025-07-01
 JUPITER, Fla. — A potential treatment for glioblastoma crafted by scientists at The Wertheim UF Scripps Institute renders the deadly brain cancer newly sensitive to both radiation and chemotherapy drugs, and blocks the cancer’s ability to invade other tissue, a new study shows. The experimental medication, called MT-125, has received approval from the FDA to move to clinical trials as a possible first-line treatment for the most aggressive form of the brain cancer. Each year, 14,000 people in the United States receive the devastating news that they have glioblastoma. It is a cancer with an average survival of just 14 to 16 months. ...

Capturability distinction analysis of continuous and pulsed guidance laws

2025-07-01
In the guidance law capturability analysis, the differential game theory is complemented by considering the optimal situation for both the evader and the pursuer as the capture boundary, and it is commonly used to derive the necessary and sufficient conditions of capture zones. However, in previous studies, capturability was analyzed for continuous guidance laws. Still, pulsed guidance laws, which are sometimes used in reality, such as pulsed orbital thrust control for exo-atmospheric vehicles, have different capture zones and influence factors.   To address the above-mentioned challenge, a team of automation scientists led ...

CHEST expands Bridging Specialties Initiative to include NTM disease and bronchiectasis on World Bronchiectasis Day

2025-07-01
Glenview, Illinois – On World Bronchiectasis Day (July 1), the American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST) is announcing the launch of Bridging Specialties®: Timely Diagnosis for NTM Disease and Bronchiectasis. Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) disease and bronchiectasis are complex, often underrecognized lung conditions that can mimic more common respiratory diseases, such as chronic bronchitis or TB. This can lead to delays in diagnosis and treatment. To address these delays, pulmonary and primary care professionals ...

Exposure to air pollution may cause heart damage

2025-07-01
OAK BROOK, Ill. – Researchers using cardiac MRI have found that long-term exposure to air pollution is associated with early signs of heart damage, according to a study that was published today in Radiology, a journal of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). The research indicates that fine particulate matter in the air may contribute to diffuse myocardial fibrosis, a form of scarring in the heart muscle that can precede heart failure. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide. There is a large body of evidence linking poor air quality with cardiovascular disease. However, the underlying changes in the heart ...

SwRI, UTSA selected by NASA to test electrolyzer technology aboard parabolic flight

2025-07-01
SAN ANTONIO — July 1, 2025 —Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) and The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) will receive a $500,000 award from NASA’s TechLeap Prize program to flight test novel electrolyzer technology designed to improve the production of propellants and life-support compounds on the Moon, Mars or near-Earth asteroids. The project, known as the Mars Atmospheric Reactor for Synthesis of Consumables (MARS-C), is led by SwRI’s Kevin Supak and Dr. Eugene Hoffman and UTSA’s Dr. Shrihari “Shri” Sankarasubramanian. TechLeap prizes are designed to support future missions by advancing transformative solutions that address NASA’s ...

Prebiotics might be a factor in preventing or treating issues caused by low brain GABA

2025-07-01
GABA, or gamma-aminobutyric acid, is an amino acid functioning as the principal inhibitory neurotransmitter that can act on the brain to slow or stop the reception of certain signals to the brain, leading to a calmer and more relaxed state. Low GABA levels in the brain have been associated with neurological disorders and diseases like depression, Alzheimer's or epilepsy. Recently, there has been a push towards understanding more about the gut’s influence on mood, behavior and mental health, as well as what foods ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Polymer coating extends half life of MXene-based air quality sensor by 200% and enables regeneration

UTIA’s Robert Burns receives Gold Medal Honor from ASABE

Weight loss drugs like Ozempic may help prevent stroke and reduce brain injury-related complications, studies show

Magellanic penguins may use currents to conserve energy on long journeys

Novel dome-celled aerogels maintain superelasticity despite temperature extremes

Controlled human gut colonization by an engineered microbial therapeutic

Vaccination could mitigate climate-driven disruptions to malaria control

Smartphone-based earthquake detection and early warning system rivals traditional, seismic network based alternatives

First winner of AAAS-Chen Institute Prize builds tool to visualize biomolecular interactions

Research spotlight: Study finds a protective kidney RNA that could transform disease treatment

Research Spotlight: Study reveals an unexpected role for protein aggregates in brain disease

UK Government and UK Research and Innovation join forces to launch multi-billion-pound compute roadmap

New study in JAMA Network Open shows current approaches to assessing preeclampsia risk are failing the majority of pregnant moms

An FDA-backed metric used to determine effectiveness of rectal cancer drugs may be unreliable, says new study

Research Spotlight: evaluating the effectiveness of guidelines to predict the risk of preeclampsia

Pigment researchers create vivid yellows, oranges, reds that are durable, non-toxic

Increased transparency about how countries use AI to manage migration needed, new study shows

Scientists repurpose old solar panels to convert CO2 exhaust into valuable chemicals

Epidemiology: Key predictors of avian flu outbreaks in Europe identified

Global rise in many Early-Onset GI cancers detailed in two Dana-Farber reviews, with colorectal cancer leading the trend

Cancer: COVID-19 boosters prevent hospitalizations

COVID-19 vaccine booster uptake and effectiveness among US adults with cancer

Cannabis use and benign salivary gland neoplasms

Public perception of physicians who use AI

Animal behavior: Dog TV viewing habits vary by personality

The secret to resolutions? Enjoy the pursuit, not the outcome

2024 Nano Research Young Innovators (NR45) Awards in Nanomaterial Self-assembly

How do the SOx and NOx in flue gas influence the adsorptive-catalytic performance of integrated carbon capture and in situ dry reforming?

Brain cancer discoveries earn UVA's Sontheimer international accolade

World Health Organization reporting system for soft tissue cytopathology

[Press-News.org] Thunderstorms are a major driver of tree death in tropical forests
Cary-led paper reveals an underestimated and growing threat to tropical forests and the carbon they store