Amigos de MexFlux: Aylin Cristina Barreras Apodaca

Which are the lines of research of your working group?

To quantify the carbon budget of terrestrial ecosystems (i.e., forests, crops, etc.) and digital mapping of carbon in soils and vegetation through machine learning.

Which project are you currently working on and/or participating?

Digital mapping of traits (i.e., biomass, stored carbon, tree height) and ecological function of Mexican forests.

Briefly, tell us how or when did you started working on ecosystem fluxes.

I had the opportunity to work with data on CO2 fluxes of mangroves when I was on the last semesters of my bachelor. That work was presented in the Mexican Geophysical Union. After that, I worked with CO2 fluxes at a seagrass prairie and coastal lagoon.

What study or project lead you to think about fluxes?

The high potential of mangrove ecosystems for mitigating the atmospheric CO2.

Which is the most interesting, surprising or unexpected discovery of your study/studies or project(s) (share links to papers)?

High rates of air-water CO2 exchanges above seagrass prairie. (https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2020GB006848)

What do you do for fun or hobby beyond academy?

Take my little dog Lola for a walk, listen to podcasts of feminist women, and making infographics for kids about environmental topics.