PhosForest
Constraining phosphorus feedbacks on the CO2 fertilization effect in the Amazon rainforest
The PhosForest project is an international collaboration project with partners in Europe and Brazil that aims to constrain phosphorus feedbacks on the functioning of the Amazon rainforest, and in particular on its response to climate change and atmospheric carbon dioxide. The low availability of soil phosphorus in the Amazon may limit the forests ability to act as a carbon sink due to the carbon dioxide fertilization effect, however key processes are relatively poorly constrained by observational data and consequently so are ecosystem model representations of phosphorus feedbacks. PhosForest proposes to advance our current understanding of phosphorus feedbacks in the Amazon and approaches the question by integrating observational, experimental and modelling approaches. The work encompasses enhancing observation-based knowledge of the phosphorus cycle in the Amazon and the integration of such in ecosystem models.
PhosForest is funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) and the International Graduate School of Science and Engineering (IGSEE).