“Tropical Forests in the Changing Earth System” is a new European Research Council project.

This long-term interdisciplinary research project aims to construct a Pan-Tropical Observatory of Forest Function, to explore forest response to global change.  In Asia, Africa, Australia, and South America, we are developing long-term on-the-ground observations of forest dynamics, integrating them with complementary approaches including high frequency measurement of the climate-sensitivities of different components of the carbon cycle.  The project works with partners across the tropical nations, toward the shared scientific goals of documenting the key patterns, impacts and processes of change so far, and of understanding better the threat to forests from global change.

ForestPlots.net is hosting the different strands of data that emerge from this project from hundreds of sites.  This helps ensure standardised protocols are applied across continents, while allowing each partner access to the information from their long-term plots.