Objective Problems to be solvedThe Amazonian carbon sink exerts a key influence on the global carbon cycle but the sink strength is not very well known. Any changes in the Amazonian sink strength of carbon resulting from changes in climate or land -use will have a significant impact on global climate and are therefore of direct relevance to the formulation of global and European environmental and climate policies.Scientific objectives and approachThe overarching objective of the project is to examine the parameters and mechanism that determine the magnitude and the behaviour of the Amazonian forest carbon sink and to provide improved estimates of the rate carbon sequestration by forest and savannah at a number of sites across the Amazon Basin. The second aim is to advance understanding of the mechanisms of carbon fixation and how this may be constrained by climate variability, availability of nutrients, and changing rates of N deposition. The final goal is to provide estimates of the current and future behaviour of the carbon sink of the Amazon region and disseminate these results to stakeholders. The first package studies climatic controls on the carbon cycle by determining how variations in climate at seasonal and inter-annual time scales, including ENSO events, control fluxes and sequestration rates of carbon. Flux measurements will be carried out at six field sites in different forest types and savannah. The second package studies carbon uptake and release processes to quantify the fate of assimilated carbon. The future of the carbon sink may well be related to the availability of nutrients and soil moisture. The factors, which control the carbon fluxes and carbon pools, will be studied in packages 3 and 4, respectively. Complementary to these measurements long-term historical trends in the forests biomass will be studied by recent using 41 forest plots along an 2500 km E-W transect and by tree ring analysis. The data collected will be used to develop and calibrate models and develop aggregation techniques. This will allow us to model the basin-wide carbon fluxes for different scenarios to study land use and climate change effects on the carbon sink.Expected impactsThe project will examine controls that determine the magnitude and behaviour of the Amazonian rainforest carbon sink, provide improved estimates of the current rate of carbon sequestration by forest and savannah, and predict likely future behaviour and implications of the sink for global and European carbon management policies. Fields of science natural sciencesearth and related environmental sciencesatmospheric sciencesclimatologydendroclimatologynatural sciencesearth and related environmental sciencessoil sciencesland-based treatmentnatural sciencesearth and related environmental sciencesatmospheric sciencesclimatologyclimatic changes Programme(s) FP5-EESD - Programme for research, technological development and demonstration on "Energy, environment and sustainable development, 1998-2002" Topic(s) 1.1.4.-2. - Key action Global Change, Climate and Biodiversity Call for proposal Data not available Funding Scheme CSC - Cost-sharing contracts Coordinator ALTERRA B.V. Address Droevendaalsesteeg 3a 6700 AA Wageningen Netherlands See on map EU contribution No data Participants (12) Sort alphabetically Sort by EU Contribution Expand all Collapse all GEORG-AUGUST-UNIVERSITY GOETTINGEN Germany EU contribution € 0,00 Address Buesgenweg, 2 37077 Goettingen See on map Other funding No data INSTITUTO SUPERIOR DE AGRONOMIA Portugal EU contribution € 0,00 Address Tapada da ajuda 1349-017 Lisboa See on map Other funding No data MAX-PLANCK-GESELLSCHAFT ZUR FOERDERUNG DER WISSENSCHAFTEN E.V. Germany EU contribution € 0,00 Address August-thienemannstraße 2 24302 Ploen See on map Other funding No data MAX-PLANCK-GESELLSCHAFT ZUR FOERDERUNG DER WISSENSCHAFTEN E.V. Germany EU contribution € 0,00 Address Carl-zeiss-promenade 10 07701 Jena See on map Other funding No data NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT Netherlands EU contribution € 0,00 Address 9,antonie van leeuwenhoeklaan 9 3720 BA Bilthoven See on map Other funding No data NATURAL ENVIRONMENT RESEARCH COUNCIL United Kingdom EU contribution € 0,00 Address Maclean building, crowmarsh gifford OX10 8BB Wallingford See on map Links Website Opens in new window Other funding No data OFFICE NATIONAL DES FORÊTS France EU contribution € 0,00 Address Avenue de saint-mandé 2 75570 Paris See on map Other funding No data ONF - BRASIL LTDA Brazil EU contribution € 0,00 Address Fazenda sao nicalao 78330000 Cotriguacu See on map Other funding No data THE EDINBURGH CENTRE FOR CARBON MANAGEMENT United Kingdom EU contribution € 0,00 Address Liberton brae 18, tower mains studios, unit 2 EH16 6AE Edinburgh See on map Other funding No data UNIVERSIT DEGLI STUDI DELLA TUSCIA Italy EU contribution € 0,00 Address Via s. camillo de lellis 01100 Viterbo See on map Other funding No data UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH United Kingdom EU contribution € 0,00 Address Darwin building, king's building, mayfield road EH9 3JG Edinburgh See on map Other funding No data UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS. United Kingdom EU contribution € 0,00 Address Woodhouse lane Leeds See on map Links Website Opens in new window Other funding No data