School of Geography and the Environment

Cécile Girardin joined the Ecosystem Dynamics group in October 2005, as a DPhil student. Following a BSc in Biology and an MSc in Environmental Technology at Imperial College, London, Cécile worked as an environmental consultant in the Climate Change team of Environmental Resources Management Ltd. for 4 years.

Cécile is currently carrying out a DPhil research project at ECI (since October 2005) on ecosystem carbon dynamics from the Andes to Amazon.

Tropical Montane Forests are the least studied and most vulnerable to warming climates. This project is an investigation of the effects of environmental parameters on key ecophysiological processes, carbon fluxes and stocks of an Andean Tropical Montane Forest. It will do so by examining the interactions between environmental factors (temperature, rainfall, light) and above and belowground forest carbon dynamics on a transect ranging from 3000m (26.4 ºC) to 220m (12.6 ºC), situated in the Kosñipata valley and Tambopata, Peru. The information obtained through this study will be used to provide impetus to research and conservation of South American forests, in the face of the impending threats caused by climate change.