Hi everyone!
My name is Gerrit, and I am a PhD student in the Terrestrial Biosphere Modeling group at the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry in Jena, Germany. I have a background in physical geography, geoinformatics, and remote sensing.
The Amazon has fascinated me since I was a child. I was always drawn to tropical forests, their complexity, and the role they play in the Earth system. During my studies, I also became increasingly interested in modeling and in how we can use models to better understand ecosystem processes that are difficult to observe directly.
My PhD project brings these interests together. I work with the terrestrial biosphere model QUINCY to study carbon and water dynamics of the forest at ATTO. Using observations collected at the site, I investigate how well the model captures the behavior of the forest and where I can improve it. I am especially interested in how the forest responds to extreme events such as droughts. I also want to understand how we can represent these responses more accurately in models.
For me, ATTO is particularly exciting because it combines long-term measurements, a unique location in the Amazon, and a strong collaborative scientific community. And it provides an opportunity to connect detailed observations with model development.
I will visit ATTO for the first time for the 2026 workshop. I am very much looking forward to finally seeing the site in person and meeting the people involved.