UMD Researchers Among First to Receive $45M to Decode the Global Carbon Cycle

Two UMD-led projects will use advanced modeling, remote sensing and forest monitoring to reduce uncertainty in carbon flux estimates and improve understanding of land-based climate impacts.

Four teams of scientists will receive up to $45 million over five years to advance understanding of the global carbon cycle driving climate change. The teams are the first to be funded through Schmidt Sciences’ Virtual Institute for the Carbon Cycle (VICC).

Two of the selected projects include faculty from UMD’s Department of Geographical Sciences. The Combining Land-Use, Modeling and Remote-Sensing To Transform Carbon Budgets (CLARiTy) project, which aims to transform carbon budget estimates through improved land-use data, modeling, and remote sensing, is co-led by Associate Research Professor Louise Chini, Professor Stephen Sitch of the University of Exeter, and Professor Julia Pongratz of LMU Munich. UMD co-investigators include George Hurtt, Lei Ma and Ben Poulter. The Congo Basin Carbon Flux Experiment (Congo-FLEX), with Professor Matthew Hansen, focuses on measuring carbon flux in the Congo Basin.

“We are just starting to understand the true extent of humankind’s effect on the intricately woven systems of land, sea and air,” said Wendy Schmidt, co-founder of Schmidt Sciences. “The Virtual Institute for the Carbon Cycle will offer us not only clarity but also the information we need to make wise decisions along the way toward a healthier, more resilient and more secure world and future for all.”

Main image: Screenshot of the Virtual Institute for the Carbon Cycle (VICC) website focusing on the Combining Land-Use, Modeling and Remote-Sensing To Transform Carbon Budgets (CLARiTy) project

Published on Thu, Oct 30, 2025 - 12:32PM