Tropical forests are experiencing dramatic climate change, biodiversity loss, and land-use change. Shifts in carbon flux dynamics, water cycling, and species composition are resulting in feedbacks with globally important consequences for biodiversity, climate change, and food production.

Yet, we also know that the tropical forests are not uniform. Their species diversity, climate, soils, and human impact vary enormously from the Americas to Africa to Asia. As a result, tropical forest systems are already showing evidence of varying responses to climate and land-use change. However, these differences remain highly uncertain and poorly understood.

PANGEA is one of two NASA funded efforts to scope a 6- to 9-year multi-scale campaign in the tropics focused on improving understanding of the heterogeneous responses to climate change, with broad research focus on biodiversity, biogeochemical cycling, and agriculture.

We have one year to work with the research and end-user communities to outline this campaign. At the end of 2024, we will submit a white paper to NASA detailing our proposal. If selected, the campaign would support coordinated fieldwork and airborne remote sensing data collection that will inform our use of satellite remote sensing and modeling to better understand the change dynamics in the tropics. We are engaging the research community across NASA programs (carbon cycle science, land-cover and land-use change, biodiversity, hydrology, Earth Science to Action, and more) as well as with other U.S. and international funding agencies and donors. Although there is no guarantee that NASA will support the recommended project, this is a once-in-a-decade opportunity to assemble multi-disciplinary research communities to align efforts and outline a focused campaign.

We are spending this year leading events and activities to work with a trans-disciplinary research community, including developing working groups co-led by scientists from tropical research institutions and from the U.S. and Europe to ensure a coordinated effort that centers interests from and in the region.

Join us https://tropicalforestscoping.com/