#  Volcanic CO2 Vents in Tropical Forests 

 



   ![Costa Rica ELEVATE team with volcano sign](/sites/g/files/omnuum7056/files/styles/hwp_1_1__360x360_scale/public/taylorlab/files/elevate_no_ingresar_pic.jpg?itok=nA6ZmJsJ) 

 

Traditional large-scale CO2 Enrichment experiments have proven logistically impossible in the tropical rainforests that we expect to have a disproportionate effect on the global response to rising CO2. To overcome this challenge, we are working with collaborators at NASA and McGill University to study tropical forests surrounding natural CO2 vents on the flanks of volcanoes in Costa Rica. These vents serve as natural CO2 enrichment experiments that have been operating for hundreds of years. By assessing biomass, growth rates, and nutrient dynamics in these forests, we can gain an entirely new perspective on the future of tropical forests under increasing atmospheric CO2.