Posted on 1 May 2006 KITE's research will explore past, present
and future changes in ecosystems at a number of sites in Kenya
and Tanzania, in an area regarded as one of the world's hotspots
of plant and animal biodiversity. The research will help
agencies across the world to improve forecasting of the impact
of climate variability on agriculture, ecosystem functioning and
health, and will lead to an increased scientific understanding
of land use and environmental conservation under a changing
climate. More will be learned about the inter-relationships
between high (European) and lower latitudes - and how changes in
tropical areas can influence ocean circulation patterns, control
greenhouse gas emissions and impact on global carbon
budgets."KITE researchers will reconstruct past environments to
help us to understand ecosystem response to climate dynamics in
a biologically important and sensitive region." said Dr Rob
Marchant, a member of the research group, "The research area
will yield better understanding