We are physiological ecologists interested in interactions between plants (principally trees) and their abiotic environment. Specifically, we focus on the impacts of climate change on terrestrial ecosystems, and feedbacks of vegetation to the climate system. We use a combination of field measurements, remote sensing, laboratory analyses, as well as modeling and statistical analysis of large data sets, in our research. We are interested in both above- and below-ground processes, at spatial scales and levels of integration from individual stomata to entire ecosystems, and from leaves and roots to the biosphere.

--- Prof. Andrew Richardson

Openings

  • Harvard undergrads, and potential PhD students and Postdoctoral fellows, interested in joining the lab are invited to contact Prof. Richardson (email: arichardson @ oeb.harvard.edu).

    • Lab Research and News

  • Our NSF Macrosystems proposal was granted funding!

    • Measurements and modeling of the terrestrial carbon cycle

    • Controls on spatial and temporal variation in ecosystem carbon sequestration, including the role of species composition and structure
    • Impacts of global change factors, management practices, and disturbance
    • Ecosystem processes at time scales from minutes to decades
    • Inverse modeling and data-model fusion with Monte Carlo approaches and multiple data constraints
    • Rigorous quantification of uncertainties in measurements, model parameters, and model predictions

    Plant phenology

    • Impacts of climate change and variability on phenology
    • Modeling and interpretation of phenological differences within and among species
    • Ecological impacts of phenology including productivity, competition and species interactions, and nutrient cycling
    • Phenological control of ecosystem feedbacks to climate (albedo, surface energy balance, surface roughness, CO2 exchange)
    • "Near surface" remote sensing: digital webcams and radiometric instruments as a novel approaches to monitoring phenology of forest canopies