OPUS: Synthesis of 25 Years of Research on the Biogeochemistry of a Tropical Rain Forest

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Tropical forests play an important role in the global cycles of carbon, nutrients, and trace gases that affect global warming. Despite the significance of tropical forests globally, few studies have examined the long-term inputs of carbon and nutrients in rain, or their export in stream water. Drinking water quality and the health of downstream rivers, coastal zones and coral reefs are strongly affected by the delivery of carbon and nutrient from mountainous tropical watersheds. Understanding how the cycling of carbon and nutrients in these mountainous watersheds responds to catastrophic disturbances (e.g. hurricanes) as well as long-term climate changes is critical for their effective management.This project will synthesize twenty-five years of data collected by the lead investigator and his colleagues on the biogeochemical cycles of watershed ecosystems in the Luquillo Mountains of Puerto Rico. This includes 40 published papers describing rain chemistry, stream chemistry, and controls on the delivery of nitrogen and other elements to downstream ecosystems. The proposed synthesis will have two primary outputs including a series of papers describing long-term patterns in elemental inputs and outputs from the study watersheds, and a book entitled Biogeochemistry of a Tropical Forest Ecosystem. The book will focus on understanding the importance of soils, rock weathering, vegetation, riparian zones, and disturbance in shaping stream chemistry.