Tropical mountains are diverse and dynamic; forests in these systems are important for global biodiversity, climate regulations, and carbon and water cycling. The remoteness of tropical mountains helps preserved native ecosystems, but the isolation also makes them vulnerable to increasing anthropogenic changes. The heterogeneous nature and the lack of data are major challenges while a holistic understanding of tropical mountain systems is urgently needed.

This session aims to facilitate connections across scales, biotic and abiotic processes, land and the atmosphere, and between researchers of different backgrounds. We welcome studies regarding tropical mountains and forests in biogeosciences, ecohydrology, and atmospheric sciences as well. Studies of under-represented regions, such as Southeast Asia, Africa, and Oceania are especially encouraged.

Examples of appropriate topics include climate change impacts on water-carbon cycling; vegetation effects on erosion and water resources; orographic clouds and precipitation; tropical montane cloud forest ecohydrology; and experiments utilizing natural gradients.

• A - Atmospheric Sciences
• H - Hydrology