An unprecedented experiment in the Amazon
In 2016 an unprecedented scientific experiment has started in the Brazilian Amazon. The AmazonFace Program is a large-scale field experiment to simulate the increase of atmospheric CO2 in the natural environment of tropical rainforests.
A series of plots will be established in an area of continuous primary rainforest in one of INPA’s conservation units in central Amazonia, near the city of Manaus. The experiment will simulate the effects of atmospheric CO2 enrichment on forest resiliance, biodiversity and environmental services using the Free-air CO2 Enrichment (FACE) technology, which had previously been used in temperate forests in the USA and Europe. This will be the first attempt to use the FACE technology in tropical forests.
AmazonFace is a joint initiative by INPA, the State University of São Paulo (UNESP) and the Oak Ridge Laboratory (USA). Several other institutions from Brazil, USA, Europe and Australia participate. For more information go to the AmazonFace website.
If you are interested in doing graduate research related to AmazonFace, please contact the program coordinator at INPA, Carlos Alberto Quesada.
