Observed impacts of aerosol regimes on energy and carbon fluxes in the Amazon forest
Mariano A. B. da Rocha,Cléo Q. Dias-Júnior,Anne C. S. Mendonça,Julia C. P. Cohen,Flávio A. F. D'Oliveira,Christopher Pöhlker,Subha Raj,Alessandro C. de Araujo,Marco A. Franco,Paulo Artaxo,Carlos A. Quesada,and Rafael S. Palácios
Mariano A. B. da Rocha
Graduate Program in Environmental Sciences, Federal University of Pará, Belém, Pará, Brazil
We studied how airborne particles like smoke affect a pristine Amazon rainforest. Using long-term data, we found that high aerosol pollution reduces the heat and water vapor released by the forest, causing a cooling effect. Surprisingly, it also substantially boosts the forest's carbon dioxide absorption by scattering sunlight, which helps plants with photosynthesis. This shows that aerosols significantly alter the Amazon's microclimate and its crucial role in the global carbon and water cycles.
We studied how airborne particles like smoke affect a pristine Amazon rainforest. Using...