KSC-96pc632

Researchers from the Smithsonian Institution hope their experiment in a local scrub oak community at KSC will yield new insights into the effects of increased carbon dioxide on natural vegetation. The experiment features a four-acre site just north of the Launch Complex 39 area. Increased amoounts of carbon dioxide are piped into 16 open-top chambers that house pristine Florida scrub vegetation, chosen because it is small and woody and fits in the chambers and can be controlled, yet has the attributes of much larger forests. Experts predict a doubling of the carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere during the next century, and the three-year KSC project being conducted by the Smithsonian-led team hopes that by simulating the increase, they can determine how natural ecosystems and vegetation will respond. Also participating in the effort are KSC, academic and international organizations. The study is being funded by a Department of energy grant