Luis Suarez
Identifying Forest Changes Due to Air Pollution over Southern Amazon of Peru
Fire pixels from NOAA satellites for 2000 to 2008 (from DSA/INPE) over Peru, Brazil and Bolivia.
Spatial variation of aerosol optical depth by MODIS sensor where is possible to note that aerosol over Peru is influenced by pollution coming from Brazil.
| Town/Region | Country | Categories | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tambopata | Peru | Central and Latin America, Forests. | 11 Nov 2010 |
During first phase we identified sources of air pollution over Amazon of Peru. The most polluted region is southern Amazon, border of Peru, Brazil and Bolivia. The next phase will determine the effects of this pollution, related to biomass burning, in incoming solar radiation and its links with biogenic emissions of forests. Satellite data will be collected and special field campaigns will be organized to evaluate physical and chemical properties of aerosols during dry and wet seasons. Biogenic emissions will be used as indicators of forest response to this changes and provide information to policymakers.
Biomass burning is one of the most important sources of air pollution in the tropical region. It has special concern over the Amazon of Peru.
Our previous research funded by RSG detected the southern Amazon, border of Peru, Brazil and Bolivia as the most critical region but also a poor studied region.
Air pollution has an important effect on incoming solar radiation, it reduces the sunlight available for leaves and this reduction can produce physiological changes in trees and forests. Biogenic volatile organic compounds can be an important indicator for evaluating this adaptation to a changing light environment.
There is a need to understand both the radiative effects of aerosols and the plant mechanisms to adapt to light changes, specially the Photonsynthetically Active Region (PAR) from 400-700nm. A combination of satellite and ground measurements can provide us insights about this effect in a region that has yearly episodes of high pollution.
Read about Luis's previous project http://www.ruffordsmallgrants.org/rsg/projects/luis_suarez_salas or for more information contact doctorozono@yahoo.com or visit http://cosmonautaenlaastropista.blogspot.com