Effect of smoke on the transmissivity of photosynthetically active radiation inside the canopy

M. Yamasoe (1) , C. von Randow (2) , A. Manzi (3) , J. Schafer (4, 5) , T. Eck (5, 6) , B. Holben (5)

1 IAG - Instituto de Astronomia, Geofísica e Ciências Atmosféricas [São Paulo]
2 WUR - Wageningen University and Research [Wageningen]
3 INPA - Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia = National Institute of Amazonian Research
4 SSAI - Science Systems and Applications, Inc. [Lanham]
5 GSFC - NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
6 UMBC - University of Maryland [Baltimore County]

Biomass burning activities emit high concentrations of aerosol particles to the atmosphere. Such particles can interact with solar radiation, decreasing the amount of light reaching the surface and increasing the fraction of diffuse radiation through scattering processes. This work reports results from photosynthetic active radiation (PAR) and aerosol optical depth (AOD) measurements conducted simultaneously at Reserva Biológica do Jaru (Rondonia State, Brazil) during LBA/SMOCC (Large-Scale Biosphere-Atmosphere Experiment in Amazonia/ Smoke, Aerosols, Clouds, Rainfall, and Climate) and RaCCI (Radiation, Cloud, and Climate Interactions in the Amazon during the Dry-to-Wet Transition Season) field experiments from 15 September to 15 November 2002. AOD values were retrieved from an AERONET (Aerosol Robotic Network) radiometer, MODIS (Moderate Resolution Spectroradiometer) and a portable sunphotometer from the United States Department of Agriculture-Forest Service. Daily mean downward PAR irradiance at the top of canopy was reduced by up to 50% due to the smoke aerosol particles. This radiation reduction affected turbulent fluxes of sensible and latent heats at the surface, observed particularly for high values of aerosol optical depth. The increase of aerosol optical depth also enhanced the transmission of photosynthetic active radiation inside the canopy. This result was a consequence of enhanced availability of diffuse radiation due to light scattering by the aerosol particles. A complex relationship was identified between light availability inside the canopy and net ecosystem exchange (NEE). The results showed that the increase of aerosol optical depth corresponded to an increase on CO₂ exchange, indicating more CO₂ uptake by the vegetation. However, for a higher AOD value, the corresponding NEE was lower than for intermediate values. Further studies are needed to better understand these findings, which were reported for the first time for the Amazon region under smoky conditions.

Domaines: Océan, Atmosphère

M. Yamasoe, C. von Randow, A. Manzi, J. Schafer, T. Eck, et al.. Effect of smoke on the transmissivity of photosynthetically active radiation inside the canopy. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions, 2005, 5 (4), pp.5909-5934. ⟨hal-00303933⟩