ECOHEAT

ECOHEAT: Ecophysiological determinants of forest–atmosphere feedbacks in heatwaves was a a project funded by the Catalan Agency of Research (AGAUR), 2021-2024, in collaboration with Jofre Carnicer (University of Barcelona) and Diego Miralles (Ghent University).

The project aimed to explore how forest structure and functional traits influence the energy exchange between forests and the atmosphere in the Mediterranean–temperate ecotone. It focused on summer average conditions and summer heatwaves. By integrating remote sensing, models, forest inventory data, and functional trait datasets, the project disentangled the interplay between biophysical properties (e.g., canopy structure, topography) and hydraulic species-specific traits. The results of the project have implications for predicting forest resilience under global warming, guiding forest management practices, and enhancing our understanding of ecotonal ecosystems as transitional zones sensitive to environmental shifts. 

Key figure of Barbeta et al. 2023 showing the association between hydraulic traits and thermal responses of forests.