Monitoring the response of tropical dry forests to drought driven by El Niño

Tropical dry forests(TDFs), comprising of 42% tropical forests worldwide, are considered as the first frontiers for economic development in Latin America because TDFs not only provide a source of agricultural and urban land but also a source of goods and ecosystem services for people who live around them. Due to the driving force for economic and social advance, TDFs are considered as the most heavily utilized and disturbed ecosystem in the world. As TDFs undergo tremendous human disturbances, ongoing climate change is affecting the provision of ecosystem services. Much of these changes are via droughts. Droughts can introduce great damages to tropical forests in terms of their biophysical properties and ecosystem services. Many of drought events are driven by El Niño events. However, the studies about the response of TDFs to drought driven by El Niño events are limited. In my project, we attempt to narrow the gap. The objective of the project is,for a latitudinal cross section of TDF across the Americas, to assess the response of vegetation drought conditions induced by El Niño (2002-2003, 2004-2005, 2006-2007, 2009-2010, and 2014-2016).

Faculty Supervisor:

Gerardo Arturo Sanchez-Azofeifa

Student:

Partner:

Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München

Discipline:

Earth science

Sector:

Education

University:

University of Alberta

Program: