Free Air Carbon Dioxide Enrichment (FACE) is the latest project conducted by researchers of the Climate Change Niche, and this project is the first being established in the country and in the tropical region. The FACE system enriches the atmosphere of a small mecocosm of the terrestrial ecosystem with an elevated concentration of carbon dioxide that is injected freely into the designated area.

Much of what we know about plant and ecosystem responses to rising carbon dioxide concentration came from studies conducted in enclosures where the response of plants is modified by their growth conditions. Results from FACE experiments conducted in temperate regions provided important field validation of findings from earlier work, but have also yielded results that are both qualitatively and quantitatively different from those obtained using field enclosures.

This project is a long-term monitoring project, the main objective of which is to determine the impact of free air CO2 enrichment on forest habitats. Various scopes of study include changes in soil acidification, changes in vegetation composition, changes in soil microbes activity and studies on plant physiology.

Developing FACE is funded by Geran Arus Perdana UKM, Institute of Climate Change (IP), Faculty of Science & Technology and UKM-YSD Chair in Climate Change. This laboratory is led by field expert of UKM-YSD Chair in Climate Change, Prof. Dr. Mohd. Nizam Mohd. Said (Director of Institute of Climate Change).