PANGEA

The tropics are experiencing dramatic changes as a result of climate change and land-use change. Shifts in carbon flux dynamics, water cycling, and species composition are resulting in feedbacks with globally important consequences.

However, tropical forests are not a monolith. They vary enormously in terms of species diversity, climate, soils, human impact, and much more. As a result, tropical forest ecosystems will almost certainly vary in response to climate change and land-use change. Yet, these differences remain highly uncertain and poorly understood. 

Join us to scope a NASA decadal Terrestrial Ecology campaign in the tropics.

Two projects were selected to scope the next NASA Terrestrial Ecology campaign. One will be selected.

If NASA selects this study, they would support a 6-9 year field campaign aimed at improving our understanding of the tropics by linking field measurements with NASA airborne and satellite observations and modeling capabilities. Previously funded campaigns include ABoVE, LBA, and BOREAS. This campaign will be similar in scope to ABoVE, which had a proposed budget of $133M. Our scoping study will take place through late 2024 and will result in a final white paper submitted to the NASA Terrestrial Ecology Program.

We look forward to working with you to define the science questions, geographic domain, and priorities for a possible campaign in the tropics addressing Earth’s most pressing challenges: climate change, land-use change, food security, and biodiversity conservation.