Ted Feldpausch Research Group

In category: Tropical forest


New artwork highlights forests damaged by deforestation and wildfire

Artwork developed by our Amazon Past Fire and Amazon PyroCarbon Projects, funded by UK NERC and ODA grants, was shown at a new artwork exhibit to highlight deforestation and wildfire. Tipping Point, by Bristol artist Luke Jerram, combined smoke, lights and sound to simulate forest fires. The installation ran at the University of Bristol’s Botanic […]


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China Scholarship Council and University of Exeter PhD Scholarships studying tropical forests

中国国家留学基金委和英国埃克塞特大学合作奖学金(博士生项目) Prof Ted Feldpausch is recruiting two students for the China Scholarship Council and University of Exeter PhD Scholarships. Up to 50 full-time PhD scholarships are available in collaboration with the China Scholarship Council (CSC), for September 2025/26 entry. The PhD projects focus on a range of themes related to the ecological and economical impacts of fire, drought, […]


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China Scholarship Council and University of Exeter PhD Scholarships

中国国家留学基金委和英国埃克塞特大学合作奖学金(博士生项目) Prof Ted Feldpausch is recruiting two students for the China Scholarship Council and University of Exeter PhD Scholarships. Up to 50 full-time PhD scholarships are available in collaboration with the China Scholarship Council (CSC), for September 2024/25 entry. The PhD projects focus on a range of themes related to fire, land-use change, lightning and tree mortality, carbon […]


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Extreme El Niño weather saw South America’s forest carbon sink switch off

Tropical forests in South America lose their ability to absorb carbon from the atmosphere when conditions become exceptionally hot and dry, according to new research. For a long time, tropical forests have acted as a carbon sink, taking more carbon out of the air than they release into it, a process that has moderated the impact […]


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Drought will reduce the rainforest’s ability to remove carbon from the environment

In a major collaboration involving 80 scientists from Europe and South America, our research identified the regions of the Amazon rainforest where trees are most likely to face the greatest risk from drier conditions brought about by climate change. Based on the analysis, our research predicts trees in the western and southern Amazon face the […]


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Doctorate “Sandwich” Program Abroad (PDSE) Scholarship – Feldpausch Research Group

Funding is available for Brazilian students with the Feldpausch Research Group at the University of Exeter through the CAPES and CPNq Doctoral Programme for study abroad (PDSE). Options include a “sandwich” PhD for study at Exeter from 6-10 months or a “full” PhD scholarship to undertake the full PhD programme of study at the University […]


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Ancient fires enhance Amazon forest drought resistance

In our recent paper, “Ancient fires enhance Amazon forest drought resistance” published in Frontiers in Forests and Global Change, we studied if ancient fires can alter the response of Amazonian forests to drought events.


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Forest Fire History in Amazonia Based on Soil Charcoal and Radiocarbon Dating

In our recent paper, “Forest Fire History in Amazonia Inferred From Intensive Soil Charcoal Sampling and Radiocarbon Dating” published in Frontiers in Forests and Global Change, we examined the history of ancient fire in intact rainforests across Amazonia using radiocarbon dating.


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QUEX Workshop: Fire Regimes in Tropical and Sub-Tropical Peatlands During the Holocene

A two-day hybrid workshop (both online and in-person) was held on 25th and 26th November 2021 that included 20 participants from different institutions in the United Kingdom, Australia, Colombia, Spain, and Brazil.


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Workshop “Science and Practices of Fire in Amazonia: past, present and future”

The four-day workshop “Science and Practices of Fire in Amazonia: past, present and future”, organized by the University of Exeter, with Brazilian institutions (Cemaden, INPE and UNEMAT), was held between 8 and 11 November – online. The workshop was attended by almost 300 people*, most of them Brazilian and about 15% of foreigners (Europe, Africa, […]


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Masters and PhD selection in the Tropical Forests Science Programme at INPA, Brazil

The public selection process is now open for assessing and selecting candidates for admission to the Masters and PhD programme in the Tropical Forests Science Programme at the National Institute of Amazonian Research (INPA) with research projects matching themes of the Post-graduate programme in Tropical Forest Science (PPG-CFT).


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African rainforests remained a carbon sink during record heat and drought

In our recent work studying the impact of record heat and drought on intact African tropical rainforests there was surprising resilience to the extreme conditions during the last major 2015/2016 El Niño event. The international study, reported in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found that intact rainforests across tropical Africa continued to remove […]


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Special Issue: Transformation of Tropical Forests Through Fire

The fire regime of tropical forests is changing rapidly, with implications for forest cover, carbon storage, species composition, biodiversity, function, and climate. These changes are having a range of impacts over varying spatiotemporal scales and are explored in a journal special issue on the Transformation of Tropical Forests through Fire.


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Scientists unravel how and why Amazon trees die

A huge new study has unravelled what factors control tree mortality rates in Amazon forests and helps to explain why tree mortality is increasing across the Amazon basin. The capacity of the Amazon forest to store carbon in a changing climate will ultimately be determined by how fast trees die. The new analysis found that the […]


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PhD in Geography (NERC GW4+ DTP): The ecology of lightning strikes – How many trees in tropical forests killed by lightning?

We are seeking qualified and motivated candidates to pursue a PhD studying how lighting affects tree mortality, carbon dynamics, and forest composition in tropical forests. Applications for the NERC GW4+ project are open, with a closing date of 16:00 on Friday 8th January 2021.


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Tropical forests beat the heat, but have limits

Tropical forests face an uncertain future under climate change, but new research published in Science suggests they can continue to store large amounts of carbon in a warmer world if countries limit greenhouse gas emissions.


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Capacity of tropical forests to act as a carbon sink is rapidly weakening

The ability of the world’s tropical forests to remove carbon from the atmosphere is decreasing, according to a study tracking 300,000 trees over 30 years, published today in Nature.


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