Materials such as greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide, circulate through the atmosphere, ocean, and land, with ecosystems playing an important role in this biogeochemical cycle. The increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide due to human activity may not only accelerate warming but also alter ecosystem functioning, in turn affects the biogeochemical cycle which control the carbon dioxide levels. To secure the future of human life on this planet, accurate prediction of the future climate is indispensable, which requires deepening our understanding of the yet unknown feedback mechanisms of ecosystems in the biogeochemical cycle. The goals of this program are to observe changing ecosystems and biogeochemical cycles in marine and terrestrial environments, to understand the mechanisms of those changes from the past to the present, and to improve the capability of earth system models for better future prediction.
