Amazonia and Climate
A.D. Nobre, INPA
Side Event Institute for Environmental Security
UNFCC COP12
15 November 2006, Nairobi Kenya
Animation credit NASA
Socrates Dream
The changes in atmospheric composition are highly
correlated with climate stability
30% output increase
Greenhouse Earth
95% CO2
Present day Earth
0.037% CO2
Biogeochemical Climate Thermostat
A multidisciplinary stroll
through Earth evolution
See details in the
GCP CD: Earth, a Living Planet
Photo Credit Andrea, Artaxo et al
. LBA Smocc Experiment
The Green Ocean
TROPICAL RAINFALL
2 years data from TRMM
satellite
[DATA]
Animation Credit NASA Goddard
20 years of Surface Temperature
[DATA]
Data & Animation Credit NASA
Biosphere – Atmosphere relations
300 liters of water
transpired per day by a
single big tree !
Equivalent to 20 billion tons
for the whole Amazon !
Or 135 years of Itaipu at full power !!
Photo Credit Andrea, Artaxo et al., LBA Claire II Experiment
More Power than Meets the Eyes
RAINFALL MECHANISM IN AN UNDISTURBED RAINFOREST
Photo Credit Antonio D Nobre
RAINFALL MECHANISM IN AN UNDISTURBED RAINFOREST
[MODEL]
CLEAN ATMOSPHERE
VOCs
Diagram by Antonio D Nobre
TROPICAL
ATLANTIC
OCEAN
EVA
POT
RAN
SP
26% IRATION
HH22O
OVAPOR
VAPOR
based on results of LBA: Claeys et al and Andrea et al. Science 2004; Marengo et al 2004, 2005; others
Photo Credit Antonio D Nobre
RAINFALL MECHANISM IN AN UNDISTURBED RAINFOREST
Volatile Organic Tree
Light
Isoprene
Sesquiterpenes
Monoterpenes
Leaves
Polimerization:
Terpenes
100s of VOCs
Floral Scents
Ethylene
Methyl
Jasmonate
Methyl
Salicylate
Flowers
Many Tissues
Phytohormones
Cell Membranes
Defense + Herbivory
C5, C6
VOCs
Methanol
Formaldhyde
Formic Acid
Acetaldehyde
Acetic Acid
Ethanol
Acetone
Leaves,
Resin ducts
Stems,
or glands
Roots
Metabolism
Stored
Terpenes
Cell Walls
by-products
Modified from Fall, R., University of Colorado, Boulder at http://www.rfall.net/
The Forgotten Droplets
RAINFALL MECHANISM IN AN UNDISTURBED RAINFOREST
[MODEL]
CLEAN ATMOSPHERE
Heavy but Gentle
Rainfall
Diagram by Antonio D Nobre
VOCs
Biogenic
Cloud Condensation
Nuclei (CCNs)
H2OVAPOR
SPIR
ATIO
N
TROPICAL
ATLANTIC
OCEAN
+
TRA
N
PHOTOXIDATION
Warm
Low Level
Clouds
based on results of LBA: Claeys et al and Andrea et al. Science 2004; Marengo et al 2004, 2005; others
RAINFALL MECHANISM IN AN UNDISTURBED RAINFOREST
[MODEL]
CLEAN ATMOSPHERE
VOCs
Biogenic
Cloud Condensation
Nuclei (CCNs)
INTERCEPTION
15%
Heavy but Gentle
Rainfall
Diagram by Antonio D Nobre
TROPICAL
ATLANTIC
OCEAN
VAPOR
+ H22OOVAPOR
EVA
POT
RAN
SP
26% IRATION
PHOTOXIDATION
Warm
Low Level
Clouds
based on results of LBA: Claeys et al and Andrea et al. Science 2004; Marengo et al 2004, 2005; others
FORESTED-LAND CIRCULATION
[MODEL]
(e) Biotic pump of atmospheric moisture: transpiration fluxes regulated by natural
forests exceed oceanic evaporation fluxes to the degree when the arising oceantoland fluxes of moist air become large enough to compensate losses of water to
runoff in the entire river basin.
Makarieva A. M., Gorshkov V. G., 2006, Biotic pump of atmospheric moisture and its
importance for the water cycle on land, Hydrology Earth System Sciences Discussions, online now.
Paleoclimates and Vegetation:
Suggestions from the Mega fauna
giraffes
elephant
Wildebeest
Photo Credit Antonio D Nobre
The Amazon Rainforest has a
Powerful and Key Influence
on Climate
How does this Influence Plays
Elsewhere on the Globe?
Valuing
Ecosystem
Services
Healthy forest–atmosphere
exchanges can affect the
hydrological cycle elsewhere
[DATA]
Airborne Rivers of Vapor
Click mouse here =>
<= to Start / Stop rain animation
Global water vapor, one week mosaic
Geography of Climate
?
?
Fonte mapa: material internet
[DATA]
[MODEL]
...when
the dry
air falls in
Surface
heating
on observe
First,
let’s
the
other extreme of the
the
equatorial
Hadley
cells
it warms up and
and
understand
zone
produces
takes
moisture from the
strong
upwellings
global
atmospheric
surface...
these dry
of air. Risingmaking
air
areas
cools andcirculation
looses
moisture, making
these rainy areas
The Hadley
circulation
transports heat
from the equator
to higher
latitudes, and
explains the
trade winds near
the surface,
which transport
moisture from
the ocean to the
Amazon
Diagram source:
internet material
[MODEL]
AMAZON
The ENGINE
HADLEY
WIN
DS
TRA
N
SPO
RT H
EAT
CONVEY
OR BEL
T
TRADE WINDS TRANSPORT MOISTURE
SUBSIDENCE
CONVECTION
HIGH
ATLANTIC
30 years of South America Rainfall
[DATA]
Source: Willmot & Webber, 1998, http://daac.ornl.gov//LBA/guides/lba_willmott.html
The Explanation : South American Monsoon
Marengo et al, 2005
[MODEL]
RAINFALL MECHANISM IN A DISTURBED RAINFOREST
[MODEL]
DIRTY ATMOSPHERE
People destroy the Garden of Eden…
H2O
VAPOR
What happens then?
VOCs
X
EVAPOTRANSPIRATION
Diagram by Antonio D Nobre
Photo Credit Andrea, Artaxo et al.
LBA Smocc Experiment
TROPICAL
ATLANTIC
OCEAN
based on results of ABRACOS project 2000 and LBA: Andrea et al. Science,; others
RAINFALL MECHANISM IN A DISTURBED RAINFOREST
[MODEL]
DIRTY ATMOSPHERE
Dry Season
or Drought
Soot
Dust
+
H2O
VAPOR
Smoky
Dissipative
Clouds
COLD
Towering
Clouds
TROPICAL
ATLANTIC
OCEAN
Diagram by Antonio D Nobre
Suppression
of
Rainfall
based on results of ABRACOS project 2000 and LBA: Andrea et al. Science,; others
DESERT CIRCULATION
[MODEL]
(a) Deserts: evaporation on land is close to zero, so the low level air moves from
land to the ocean year round, thus "locking" the desert for moisture.
Makarieva A. M., Gorshkov V. G., 2006, Biotic pump of atmospheric moisture and its
importance for the water cycle on land, Hydrology Earth System Sciences Discussions, online now.
Amazon River, 2005