The
Mission of the Terrestrial Carbon Process (TCP) program is to provide increased
scientific knowledge of terrestrial components of the global carbon cycle
– for the purposes of accurate predictions of atmospheric carbon dioxide
change, evaluating terrestrial sources and sinks for carbon dioxide, and
assessing effectiveness of ecosystem processes for controlling and
squestering carbon dioxide.
Program Description
The Terrestrial Carbon Processes (TCP) program supports efforts to identify
and quantify the cycling of carbon through important terrestrial ecosystems in
efforts to better predict the role of these systems in
climate change. These efforts focus on changes
in the carbon dioxide source and sink activity of terrestrial ecosystems in
response to increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration and climate
change.
Components
of field and modeling activities include:
- Carbon (CO2) flux and biometric
measurements in terrestrial ecosystems for evaluating changes of carbon
quantities.
- AmeriFlux, the network of CO2
flux, for directly estimating net ecosystem production (NEP), and carbon
sequestration by terrestrial ecosystems.
- Free Air CO2 Enrichment (FACE) studies – large-scale,
multi-disciplinary field experiments to evaluate the responses of terrestrial
plants and ecosystems to increased concentrations of atmospheric CO2
and changing climate variables.
- Mechanistic terrestrial carbon models for
evaluating the role of the biosphere in atmospheric CO2
changes, and the influence of climate and other feedbacks on the
biogeochemical cycle of carbon.
Solicitations
The program is not presently soliciting
research proposals.
Future
grant solicitation notices will be posted on the DOE Office of Science Grants and Contracts Web Site
and at grants.gov. Information about preparing and
submitting applications, as well as the DOE Office of Science merit review
process, is at the DOE Office of Science Grants
and Contracts Web Site.
The
most recently closed solicitation (Notice 06-11) sought research proposals to provide
scientific knowledge of terrestrial components of the global carbon cycle for (i) providing accurate predictions of atmospheric CO2
change; (ii) quantifying terrestrial carbon sources and sinks and how they are
changing in relation to other atmospheric, climatologic and hydrologic
influences; and (iii) assessing terrestrial feedbacks on carbon cycle and
climate. The solicitation considered applications on measurements, experiments
and modeling to provide improved quantitative and predictive understanding of
the terrestrial carbon cycle processes that can affect atmospheric carbon
dioxide changes and thereby affect the carbon dioxide forcing of climate.
Why the Program's Research is Important
The terrestrial biosphere is a major factor influencing the transport and
concentration of atmospheric greenhouse gasses (including carbon dioxide). Current limitations of our understanding of
carbon cycling through terrestrial ecosystems account for significant
uncertainties in projections of future climate scenarios. This program seeks to identify critical carbon
cycle pathways, provide quantitative explanations for those pathways and
integrate the resulting process understanding into coupled models of global and
regional climate.
More Information about the
Program and Its Accomplishments
Ameriflux program
FACE program
Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center
(CDIAC)
Abstracts
Currently funded program research projects
Program Manager
J. Michael Kuperberg, Ph.D.
Climate
and Environmental Sciences Division, SC-23.1
U.S. Department of Energy, GTN Bldg.
1000 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20585-1290
Phone: (301) 903-3511
Fax: (301) 903-8519
Email: Michael.Kuperberg@science.doe.gov