The state-of-knowledge on the mechanisms driving mortality in moist tropical forests
Oxford Centre for Tropical Forests seminar followed by drinks – all welcome, booking required

Tree mortality is rising in the tropics and throughout the globe, with implications on the carbon cycle and climate forcing. However, we do not yet understand the causes of this rising mortality, precluding us from mechanistic prediction under future climate. In this presentation Nate will review our state-of-the-knowledge regarding the drivers and mechanisms of tree mortality with a focus on the tropics, while also extending our inference to the globe. Changes in atmospheric conditions such as rising CO2, temperature, and VPD are plausible explanations for the global mortality rise. Mitigation mechanisms exist by which mortality may be buffered by increasing growth, but the number of mortality drivers outweighs those driving increased growth, casting doubt on the strength of the future forest carbon sink. The path forward to better understanding and simulation is highlighted.

Nate McDowell received his BSc at the University of Michigan, MSc at the University of Idaho, and PhD at Oregon State University. He worked at Los Alamos National Laboratory for 14 years and is now a staff scientist at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Nate studies the carbon and water balance of plants and their impacts on plant growth and survival.
Date: 4 April 2019, 16:15 (Thursday, 12th week, Hilary 2019)
Venue: Dyson Perrins Building, off South Parks Road OX1 3QY
Venue Details: Herbertson Room
Speaker: Nate McDowell (Pacific Northwest National Laboratory)
Organising department: Oxford University Centre for the Environment
Organiser: Jane Applegarth (University of Oxford, Oxford University Centre for the Environment)
Organiser contact email address: jane.applegarth@eci.ox.ac.uk
Host: Professor Yadvinder Malhi (University of Oxford)
Part of: Oxford Centre for Tropical Forests
Topics:
Booking required?: Required
Booking url: https://www.tropicalforests.ox.ac.uk/event/the-state-of-knowledge-on-the-mechanisms-driving-mortality-in-moist-tropical-forests/
Cost: Free
Audience: Public
Editor: Jane Applegarth