The Program for Experimental Atmospheres and Climate (PÉAC) is a nationally and internationally unique climate controlled facility designed, fundamentally, to assess the processes and systems underlying plant growth and development. Since its inception, the PÉAC facility has contributed significantly in promoting Ireland to the forefront of research in terms of plant ecology and evolution, assessing the impacts of climate/environmental change and sustainable agri-food production and management systems.
The facility currently houses fifteen controlled environment chambers capable of simulating a range of both future and prehistoric environmental conditions allowing scientists to predict how changing environments, in particular atmospheric composition, will and previously have affected plant growth conditions for almost any terrestrial biome on earth.
Since its beginnings PÉAC has grown into an important, interdisciplinary research laboratory facilitating UCD’s School of Biology and Environmental Science which is home, not only to the largest and most diverse grouping of plant scientists in Ireland but is also amongst one of the largest plant science groupings internationally. Consequently, PÉAC is fast becoming established as a key resource in the field of plant sciences both nationally and internationally.