Extreme weather of 2016 El Niño switched off the world's 'Carbon Sink'

The tropical forests of South America are able to moderate some of the impacts of climate change by removing more carbon from the air than they put into it but this stopped during the El Niño event of 2015 to 2016.

The planet's 'Carbon Sink' of the forests of South America loses its ability to absorb carbon from the atmosphere when weather conditions become exceptionally hot and dry, according to new research.

Decades of research have outlined how the tropical forests of South America are able to moderate some of the impacts of climate change by removing more carbon from the air than they put into it.