Diffuse CO2 Emissions and Ecosystem Response at Costa Rican Volcanoes
Profile
Diffuse CO2 Emissions and Ecosystem Response at Costa Rican Volcanoes
PI: Joann M. Stock
Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences
Climate Science Initiative
This project is an interdisciplinary collaboration between Caltech and JPL for CO2/Lidar data collection and analysis examining spatial variations in diffuse emissions of carbon dioxide from volcanic areas in Costa Rica. The tropical CO2 fertilization effect is the single largest uncertainty in the terrestrial contribution to projections in climate. This pilot study will address how tropical ecosystems respond to increasing CO2, by surveying a modern ecosystem where local CO2 increases are measurable and can be related to vegetation response. We will also use the dataset for volcanic hazards studies to evaluate links between the observed pattern of CO2 variations and the tectonic structure and seismicity of the regions around the volcanoes.