The ELEVATE project is an investigation of how elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) affects tropical forests in Costa Rica. We used natural CO₂ springs to explore changes in plant structure, leaf traits, and greenhouse gas emissions using ground, aerial, and satellite observations. We found that trees released more methane and CO₂ from their stems in high-CO₂ areas, but that soil emissions remain the same. Using leaf-level spectra, we found that elevated CO₂ is associated with changes that reflect structural traits, rather than changes associated with leaf photosynthesis. We also improved a climate model using ECOSTRESS satellite imagery for estimates of carbon productivity and evapotranspiration to better predict how tropical forests respond to rising CO₂. We aim to continue synthesizing ground, aerial, and satellite observations to advance our understanding of how ecosystem processes vary in response to long-term, elevated CO₂ exposure in the Tropics.