Revisiting dry season vegetation dynamics in the Amazon rainforest using different satellite vegetation datasets

Abstract. We investigated atmospheric new particle formation (NPF) in the Amazon rainforest using direct measurement methods. To our knowledge this is the first direct observation of NPF events in the Amazon region. However, previous observations elsewhere in Brazil showed the occurrence of nucleation-mode particles. Our measurements covered two field sites and both the wet and dry season. We measured the variability of air ion concentrations (0.8–12 nm) with an ion spectrometer between September 2011 and January 2014 at a rainforest site (T0t). Between February and October 2014, the same measurements were performed at a grassland pasture site (T3) as part of the GoAmazon 2014/5 experiment, with two intensive operating periods (IOP1 and IOP2 during the wet and the dry season, respectively). The GoAmazon 2014/5 experiment was designed to study the influence of anthropogenic emissions on the changing climate in the Amazon region. The experiment included basic aerosol and trace gas measurements at the ground, remote sensing instrumentation, and two aircraft-based measurements. The results presented in this work are from measurements performed at ground level at both sites. The site inside the rainforest (T0t) is located 60 km NNW of Manaus and influenced by pollution about once per week. The pasture (T3) site is located 70 km downwind from Manaus and influenced by the Manaus pollution plume typically once per day or every second day, especially in the afternoon. No NPF events were observed inside the rainforest (site T0t) at ground level during the measurement period. However, rain-induced ion and particle bursts (hereafter, “rain events”) occurred frequently (643 of 1031 days) at both sites during the wet and dry season, being most frequent during the wet season. During the rain events, the ion concentrations in three size ranges (0.8–2, 2–4, and 4–12 nm) increased up to about 104–105 cm−3. This effect was most pronounced in the intermediate and large size ranges, for which the background ion concentrations were about 10–15 cm−3 compared with 700 cm−3 for the cluster ion background. We observed eight NPF events at the pasture site during the wet season. We calculated the growth rates and formation rates of neutral particles and ions for the size ranges 2–3 and 3–7 nm using the ion spectrometer data. The observed median growth rates were 0.8 and 1.6 nm h−1 for 2–3 nm sized ions and particles, respectively, with larger growth rates (13.3 and 7.9 nm h−1) in the 3–7 nm size range. The measured nucleation rates were of the order of 0.2 cm−3 s−1 for particles and 4–9×10-3 cm−3 s−1 for ions. There was no clear difference in the sulfuric acid concentrations between the NPF event days and nonevent days (∼9×105 cm−3). The two major differences between the NPF days and nonevent days were a factor of 1.8 lower condensation sink on NPF event days (1.8×10-3 s−1) compared to nonevents (3.2×10-3 s−1) and different air mass origins. To our knowledge, this is the first time that results from ground-based sub-3 nm aerosol particle measurements have been obtained from the Amazon rainforest.

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Climatic and ecological future of the Amazon: likelihood and causes of change

Earth System Dynamics Discussions ◽

10.5194/esdd-1-63-2010 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 1 (1) ◽

pp. 63-101 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

B. Cook ◽

N. Zeng ◽

J.-H. Yoon

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Soil Moisture ◽

Dry Season ◽

Ecosystem Dynamics ◽

Amazon Rainforest ◽

Future Climate Change ◽

Maintenance Cost ◽

Intergovernmental Panel ◽

Central Brazil ◽

Recent Climate

Abstract. Some recent climate modeling results suggested a possible dieback of the Amazon rainforest under future climate change, a prediction that raised considerable interest as well as controversy. To determine the likelihood and causes of such changes, we analyzed the output of 15 models from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Fourth Assessment Report (IPCC/AR4) and a dynamic vegetation model VEGAS driven by these climate output. Our results suggest that the core of the Amazon rainforest should remain largely stable as rainfall is projected to increase in nearly all models. However, the periphery, notably the southern edge of the Amazon and further south in central Brazil, are in danger of drying out, driven by two main processes. Firstly, a decline in precipitation of 22% in the southern Amazon's dry season (May–September) reduces soil moisture, despite an increase in precipitation during the wet season, due to nonlinear responses in hydrology and ecosystem dynamics. Two dynamical mechanisms may explain the lower dry season rainfall: (1) a general subtropical drying under global warming when the dry season southern Amazon is under the control of the subtropical high pressure; (2) a stronger north-south tropical Atlantic sea surface temperature gradient, and to lesser degree a warmer eastern equatorial Pacific. Secondly, evaporation demand will increase due to the general warming, further reducing soil moisture. In terms of ecosystem response, higher maintenance cost and reduced productivity under warming may also have additional adverse impact. The drying corresponds to a lengthening of the dry season by 11 days. As a consequence, the median of the models projects a reduction of 20% in vegetation carbon stock in the southern Amazon, central Brazil, and parts of the Andean Mountains. Further, VEGAS predicts enhancement of fire risk by 10–15%. The increase in fire is primarily due to the reduction in soil moisture, and the decrease in dry season rainfall, which is when fire danger reaches its peak. Because the southern Amazon is also under intense human influence as a result of deforestation and land use, added pressure to the region's ecosystems from climate change may subject the region to profound changes in the 21st century.

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Concentrations and biosphere–atmosphere fluxes of inorganic trace gases and associated ionic aerosol counterparts over the Amazon rainforest

Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics ◽

10.5194/acp-20-15551-2020 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 20 (24) ◽

pp. 15551-15584

Author(s):

Robbie Ramsay ◽

Chiara F. Di Marco ◽

Matthias Sörgel ◽

Mathew R. Heal ◽

Samara Carbone ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Dry Deposition ◽

Tropical Rainforest ◽

Trace Gases ◽

Anthropogenic Pollution ◽

Early Morning ◽

Dry Season ◽

Water Soluble ◽

Amazon Rainforest ◽

Wet Season ◽

Deposition Velocities

Abstract. The Amazon rainforest presents a unique, natural laboratory for the study of surface–atmosphere interactions. Its alternation between a near-pristine marine-influenced atmosphere during the wet season and a vulnerable system affected by periodic intrusions of anthropogenic pollution during the dry season provides an opportunity to investigate some fundamental aspects of boundary-layer chemical processes. This study presents the first simultaneous hourly measurements of concentrations, fluxes, and deposition velocities of the inorganic trace gases NH3, HCl, HONO, HNO3, and SO2 as well as their water-soluble aerosol counterparts NH4+, Cl−, NO2-, NO3- and SO42- over the Amazon. Species concentrations were measured in the dry season (from 6 October to 5 November 2017), at the Amazon Tall Tower Observatory (ATTO) in Brazil, using a two-point gradient wet-chemistry instrument (GRadient of AErosols and Gases Online Registration, GRAEGOR) sampling at 42 and 60 m. Fluxes and deposition velocities were derived from the concentration gradients using a modified form of the aerodynamic gradient method corrected for measurement within the roughness sub-layer. Findings from this campaign include observations of elevated concentrations of NH3 and SO2 partially driven by long-range transport (LRT) episodes of pollution and the substantial influence of coarse Cl− and NO3- particulate on overall aerosol mass burdens. From the flux measurements, the dry season budget of total reactive nitrogen dry deposition at the ATTO site was estimated as −2.9 kg N ha-1a-1. HNO3 and HCl were deposited continuously at a rate close to the aerodynamic limit. SO2 was deposited with an average daytime surface resistance (Rc) of 28 s m−1, whilst aerosol components showed average surface deposition velocities of 2.8 and 2.7 mm s−1 for SO42- and NH4+, respectively. Deposition rates of NO3- and Cl− were higher at 7.1 and 7.8 mm s−1, respectively, reflecting their larger average size. The exchange of NH3 and HONO was bidirectional, with NH3 showing emission episodes in the afternoon and HONO in the early morning hours. This work provides a unique dataset to test and improve dry deposition schemes for these compounds for tropical rainforest, which have typically been developed by interpolation from conditions in temperate environments. A future campaign should focus on making similar measurements in the wet season in order to provide a complete view of the annual pattern of inorganic trace gas and coarse aerosol biosphere–atmosphere exchange over tropical rainforest.

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Índices termodinâmicos durante a campanha GOAmazon2014/5 e comparação com dados da reanálise ERA-Interim

Ciência e Natura ◽

10.5902/2179460x46842 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 42 ◽

pp. e19

Author(s):

Matheus Tolentino da Silva ◽

Henrique De Melo Jorge Barbosa ◽

Theotonio Mendes Pauliquevis Júnior

Keyword(s):

Relative Humidity ◽

Dry Season ◽

Amazon Rainforest ◽

Cloud Formation ◽

Radiosonde Data ◽

Radiative Balance ◽

Thermodynamic Conditions ◽

The Difference ◽

Seasonal Analysis ◽

Humidity Profiles

The thermodynamic indexes LCL, LFC, CINE and CAPE characterize atmospheric instability, and allow the study of cloud formation and convection, important phenomena for the hydrologic cycle and the radiative balance. For this reason, this work makes a seasonal analysis of these thermodynamic indexes computed from radiosondes released during the GOAmazon2014/5 experiment. A comparison was made with ERA-Interim reanalysis for both these indexes and the temperature and relative humidity profiles. Analysis of radiosonde data shows that the median vertical profile of relative humidity in the dry season was lower in 2015 when compared to 2014, resulting in higher LCL (~50 hPa at 18 Z) and lower CAPE (~50% lower). The difference stems from a more severe dry season in 2015 when compared with 2014. The comparison with the reanalysis reveals that modeled LCL values are only compatible with observed ones at 18 Z (mean bias -10 hPa). On the other hand, CAPE values are always incompatible (mean bias -750 j/kg). Results indicate that ERA Interim poorly represents the thermodynamic conditions over the Amazon rainforest.

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Pronounced loss of Amazon rainforest resilience since the early 2000s

10.21203/rs.3.rs-379902/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Chris Boulton ◽

Timothy Lenton ◽

Niklas Boers

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Land Use ◽

Land Use Change ◽

Regional Climate ◽

Global Scale ◽

Dry Season ◽

Amazon Rainforest ◽

Critical Threshold ◽

Broadleaf Tree ◽

Tree Coverage

Abstract The resilience of the Amazon rainforest to climate and land-use change is of critical importance for biodiversity, regional climate, and the global carbon cycle. Some models project future climate-driven Amazon rainforest dieback and transition to savanna1. Deforestation and climate change, via increasing dry-season length2,3 and drought frequency – with three 1-in-100-year droughts since 20054-6 – may already have pushed the Amazon close to a critical threshold of rainforest dieback7,8. However, others argue that CO2 fertilization should make the forest more resilient9,10. Here we quantify Amazon resilience by applying established indicators11 to remotely-sensed vegetation data with focus on vegetation optical depth (1991-2016), which correlates well with broadleaf tree coverage. We find that the Amazon rainforest has been losing resilience since 2003, consistent with the approach to a critical transition. Resilience is being lost faster in regions with less rainfall, and in parts of the rainforest that are closer to human activity. Given observed increases in dry-season length2,3 and drought frequency4-6, and expanding areas of land use change, loss of resilience is likely to continue. We provide direct empirical evidence that the Amazon rainforest is losing stability, risking dieback with profound implications for biodiversity, carbon storage and climate change at a global scale.

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Temporal variations of CH4/CO2/CO fluxes in the central Amazon rainforest

10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-16019 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Shujiro Komiya ◽

Jost Lavric ◽

David Walter ◽

Santiago Botia ◽

Alessandro Araujo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Amazon Basin ◽

Temporal Variations ◽

Dry Season ◽

Amazon Rainforest ◽

Eddy Covariance Method ◽

Co Concentration ◽

Dry Seasons ◽

Co Concentrations ◽

Wet And Dry Seasons

Amazon rainforests and soils contain large amounts of carbon, which is under pressure from ongoing climate and land use change in the Amazon basin. It is estimated that methane (CH4), an important greenhouse gas, is largely released from the flooded wetlands of the Amazon, but the trends and balances of CH4 in the Amazon rainforest are not yet well understood. In addition, the change in atmospheric CH4 concentration is strongly associated with a change in carbon monoxide (CO) concentration, often caused by the human-induced combustion of biomass that usually peaks during dry season. Understanding the long-term fluctuations in the fluxes of greenhouse gases in the Amazon rainforest is essential for improving our understanding of the carbon balance of the Amazon rainforest.Since March 2012, we have continuously measured atmospheric CO2/CH4/CO concentrations at five levels (79, 53, 38, 24, and 4 m a.g.l.) using two wavelength-scanned cavity ring-down spectroscopy analyzers (G1301 and G1302, Picarro Inc., USA), which are automatically calibrated on site every day. In addition, we measured the CO2 flux by the eddy covariance method at the same tower. We estimated the CO2/CH4/CO fluxes by combining the vertical profile of the CO2/CH4/CO concentrations with the flux gradient method. Our results generally show no major difference in CO2 flux between the wet and dry seasons except for year 2017, when an elevated CO2 uptake was documented during the dry season despite the lowest precipitation between 2014 and 2018. The CH4 flux showed the largest CH4 emission during the dry season in year 2016. Further results will be analyzed and discussed in the presentation.

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Atmospheric impact of sesquiterpenes in the Amazon rainforest

10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-9967 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Nora Zannoni ◽

Stefan Wolff ◽

Anywhere Tsokankunku ◽

Matthias Soergel ◽

Marta Sa ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Atmospheric Chemistry ◽

Forest Canopy ◽

Dry Season ◽

Amazon Rainforest ◽

Wet Season ◽

Organic Species ◽

Central Amazonia ◽

Volatile Organic ◽

Chromatographic Peaks ◽

Ozone Reactivity

Sesquiterpenes (C15H24) are highly reactive biogenic volatile organic compounds playing an important role in atmospheric chemistry. Once emitted from the Earth&#8217;s surface, primarily by vegetation, they are rapidly oxidized to semivolatile oxygenated organic species that can lead to secondary organic aerosols (SOA) that influence climate. In the pristine Amazon rainforest environment oxidation of sesquiterpenes is initiated by OH and ozone.We measured sesquiterpenes in March 2018 (wet season) and November 2018 (dry season) from central Amazonia, at the remote field site ATTO (Amazonian Tall Tower Observatory), Brazil. Samples were collected on adsorbent filled tubes equipped with ozone scrubbers at different heights above the forest canopy&#160;;&#160;every three hours for two weeks at 80m and 150m (wet season) and every hour for three days at 80m, 150m and 320m (dry season). Samples were then analysed in the&#160;laboratory with a TD-GC-TOF-MS (Thermodesorption-Gas Chromatographer-Time Of Flight-Mass Spectrometer, Markes International). Simultaneous measurements of ozone and meteorological parameters were made at the nearby INSTANT tower. Identification of the chromatographic peaks was achieved by injection of standard molecules and by matching literature mass spectra. Quantification of the chemical compounds was achieved by injection of a standard mixture containing terpenes.The most abundant sesquiterpene measured at ATTO is (-)-&#945;-copaene. Its diel profile varies with photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) and temperature, suggesting the canopy to be the main emission source. Interestingly, other identified sesquiterpenes show a consistent mirrored cycle, with their concentration being higher by night than by day. These varied mostly with RH suggesting the soil to be the main source of the emissions. Air samples taken at the ground are qualitatively and quantitatively different to those collected at different altitudes from the tower. Sesquiterpenes show a common maximum at sunrise (5&#160;:00-7&#160;:00 local time, UTC-4h) coincident with a strong decrease in ozone concentration (>50% decrease on average during the dry season). The strongest effect is registered during the dry season, when sesquiterpenes and ozone concentrations are highest and ozone loss is largest. The atmospheric impact of the measured sesquiterpenes will be discussed including ozone reactivity contributions and OH generation.

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Concentrations and biosphere–atmosphere fluxes of inorganic trace gases and associated ionic aerosol counterparts over the Amazon rainforest

10.5194/acp-2020-586 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Robbie Ramsay ◽

Chiara F. Di Marco ◽

Matthias Sörgel ◽

Mathew R. Heal ◽

Samara Carbone ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Trace Gases ◽

Anthropogenic Pollution ◽

Dry Season ◽

Water Soluble ◽

Amazon Rainforest ◽

Wet Season ◽

Concentration Gradients ◽

Deposition Velocities ◽

Aerosol Mass ◽

Flux Measurements

Abstract. The Amazon rainforest presents a unique, natural laboratory for the study of surface-atmosphere interactions. Its alternation between a near-pristine, marine-influenced atmosphere during the wet season, and a vulnerable system affected by periodic intrusions of anthropogenic pollution during the dry season, provides an opportunity to investigate some fundamental aspects of boundary-layer chemical processes. This study presents the first simultaneous hourly measurements of concentrations, fluxes and deposition velocities of the inorganic trace gases NH3, HCl, HONO, HNO3 and SO2 and their water-soluble aerosol counterparts NH4+, Cl−, NO2−, NO3− and SO42− over the Amazon. Species concentrations were measured in the dry season (from 6 October to 5 November 2017), at the Amazon Tall Tower Observatory (ATTO) in Brazil, using a two-point gradient, wet-chemistry instrument (Gradient of Aerosols and Gases Online Registration, GRAEGOR) sampling at 42 m and 60 m. Fluxes and deposition velocities were derived from the concentration gradients using a modified form of the aerodynamic gradient method corrected for measurement within the roughness sub-layer. Findings from this campaign include observations of elevated concentrations of NH3 and SO2 partially driven by long-range transport (LRT) episodes of pollution, and the substantial influence of coarse Cl− and NO3− particulate on overall aerosol mass burdens. From the flux measurements, the dry season budget of total reactive nitrogen dry deposition at the ATTO site was estimated as −2.9 kg N ha−1 a−1. HNO3 and HCl were deposited continuously at a rate close to the aerodynamic limit. SO2 was deposited with an average daytime surface resistance (Rc) of 28 s m−1, whilst aerosol components showed average surface deposition velocities of 2.8 and 2.7 mm s−1 for SO42− and NH4+. Deposition rates of NO3

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