ICCR: Understanding Interannual Net Ecosystem Carbon Exchange Variability in a Tropical Rain Forest

Florida International University, Miami FL

Investigators

Abstract

This project involves characterizing the structure and function of tropical rain forest canopies to assess their carbon budgets and annual carbon fluxes. A variety of methods will be used at a variety of scales, ranging from scaled-up estimates of total canopy photosynthesis and ecosystem respiration from the forest floor to the canopy together with top-down approaches including eddy covariance and remote sensing. The project will take place at La Selva Field Station in Costa Rica. The measurements and modeling results will lead to an understanding of the causes of interannual variability in tree growth and net carbon exchange, will test models of carbon cycle in the tropical rain forest. This work contributes to concerns about the effects of global climate change on the carbon dynamics of tropical forest ecosystems.