Global change effects on boreal forests: how will boreal ecosystems respond to climate warming?

This project will test whether boreal latitudes are undergoing tipping point transitions that restructure ecosystems due to warming and feedbacks between nutrient cycling and vegetation.

This PhD will investigate the climate sensitivity of boreal ecosystems, addressing the question: How and on what timescales will boreal ecosystems respond to changing climate? The focus will be on resolving the complex feedbacks in plant-soil interactions, the role of fire, and how soil nutrient availability limits plant responses. Process modelling of carbon-nutrient interactions, including theorised plant optimisation for growth and allocation, will be combined with a range of experimental and observational data from high latitudes to address the key question. The modelling analysis will make use of data assimilation methods that optimally combine simulations with observations and allow for regional analyses by making use of satellite data on fire burned areas, biomass distribution, leaf trait maps, and canopy phenology.