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NASA-FUNDED
SCIENTISTS JOIN OTHERS TO EXPLORE TROPICAL RAINFORESTS
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1 | The
Brazilian Rainforest | NASA-funded
scientists and others from around the world are gathering in Brazil at an international
conference to discuss research and discoveries of how the Amazon ecosystem works. The
2nd International Large Scale Biosphere Atmosphere Experiment in Amazonia (LBA)
Scientific Conference, is being held in Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil from July 7 th
through the 10th. The LBA experiment is an international research initiative led
by Brazil.
Scientists from around the world have been studying how changes
in land use and climate in the tropical rainforests and other areas of the Amazon
will affect the biological, chemical and physical functioning of the region, including
its sustainability and its influence over the global climate.
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2 | | Studying
the Rainforest | “The
LBA project is studying rainforests and their surrounding ecosystems such as those
in Brazil because they have long been considered important to the world’s
carbon balance,” said Michael Keller of the University of New Hampshire,
the LBA project lead. There
are a number of field campaigns occurring in the Amazon this summer and beyond.
Below are some examples: 1)
STUDYING THE CARBON BALANCE IN THE AMAZON REGION
Current measurements give
scientists hints about the carbon balance in the Amazon, and how different areas
and types of land cover act as carbon sinks or sources, but they lack a regional
view. Pending agreement with Brazil, in April 2003 (a wet, high water period)
and October 2003 (a dry, low water period), the LBA-ECO group plans to fly a University
of North Dakota research aircraft across the Brazilian Amazon region. The plane
will be fitted with sophisticated chemical sensors from Harvard University to
measure concentrations of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide. Combining
in-flight chemistry results with models of atmospheric transport, contributed
by collaborators at the University of Sao Paolo (USP), the combined group will
gain two snapshots of carbon flux from local to regional scales. LBA-ECO
contacts on this project:
Steve Wofsy,
Harvard University,
Maria
Assuncao Silva Dias, USP 2.USING
SATELLITES TO DETERMINE EXTENT AND DAMAGE OF LOGGING
Logging is a growing land
practice in Brazil’s Amazon, but the area of forest annually affected by
selective logging is hotly contested by scientists. Selective logging, where only
some of the trees in the forest are harvested, has been difficult to quantify
across the region. Brazilian investigators from EMBRAPA, the Fundacao Floresta
Tropical (a Brazilian NGO) and US investigators from Stanford University and the
USDA Forest Service are teaming up to interpret Landsat satellite images to measure
both the extent of logging and the canopy damage caused. These studies are closely
tied to studies of the carbon balance of logging. In
a related experiment, researchers from the University of California, Irvine, USP
and Harvard are comparing the carbon balance from eddy flux towers in logged and
intact forests outside of Santarem, Para, Brazil. LBA-ECO
contacts on this project:
Greg
Asner, Stanford University
Natalino
Silva, EMBRAPA
Michael Keller,
USDA Forest Service
Johan Zweede, Fundacao
Floresta Tropical 3.
ASSESSING THE COSTS AND EFFECTS OF FIRES ACROSS THE BRAZILIAN AMAZON, BY SATELLITE
AND ON THE GROUND
Fire is a major force shaping the Amazonian landscapes. For
land managers with moderate means, fire is the only affordable way to clear land
and maintain agro-pastoral systems. However, intentional fires often escape from
prescribed burn areas, damaging tree crops, fences, forests and even homes. Fire
damage and fire prevention are a growing concern on the Amazon frontier. In addition,
the use of fire brings adverse health effects to the local populace, closes airports
and even affects local weather. Fires are also important sources of atmospheric
trace gases and aerosols. LBA-ECO investigators will continue their research to
assess the effects of fires across the Brazilian Amazon. In addition, they will
continue measurement of fire extent from satellites and comparing the satellite
retrievals to ground based observations. LBA-ECO
contacts on this project:
Daniel Nepstad,
Woods Hole Research Center
Carlos Klink,
University of Brasilia
Foster Brown,
Woods Hole Research Center 4.
STUDYING NUTRIENTS AND THEIR AFFECTS ON SECONDARY FOREST RECOVERY
Secondary
forests may be an important sink for carbon. But, do nutrients limit the rate
of secondary forest recovery? Experience with agriculture and silviculture in
the Amazon region suggests that soil nutrients are extremely limited in the highly
weathered soils of the region. Researchers from Woods Hole Research Center and
the Museo Paraense Emilio Goeldi (MPEG) have been fertilizing second growth forests
to learn how severely nutrients can limit recovery. They
are also measuring the re-growth of secondary forests using Landsat and IKONOS
satellite imagery to analyze patterns of succession and ultimately to measure
secondary re-growth across the Amazon region. LBA-ECO
contacts on this project:
Eric Davidson,
Woods Hole Research Center
Ima Vieira,
MPEG For
reporters interested in attending the conference, it will take place at the Centro
de ConvenÁ_es Studio 5, Distrito Industrial – Manaus, Avenida Rodrigo
Ot·vio, 3555, Brazil. The press room is # 7. Journalists
should register for the conference on line at:
http://lba.cptec.inpe.br/lba-conf-manaus02-en/ On
the registration form, any media attending should indicate they are journalists
and no fees will be charged. Registration is needed for a badge and comprehensive
material.
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