BEACHON Project
Alex Guenther
Earth and Sun Systems Laboratory
National Center for Atmospheric Research
Boulder CO USA
Bio-hydro-atmosphere
interactions of
Energy,
Aerosols,
Carbon,
H2O,
Organics and
Nitrogen
Motivation for the BEACHON Project
• The earth system is changing
• Need to predict changes and their impacts
on time scales of months to years
• Requires understanding of the coupling of
energy, water, carbon and biogeochemical
cycles in a multi-scale framework.
• Requires modeling, observations and
process studies
• Sensitivity of water-limited landscapes
The importance of Bio-hydro-atmosphere interactions of Energy,
Aerosols, Carbon, H2O, Organics and Nitrogen
• is prominent in the NCAR 2006 strategic plan
• is prominent in the NSF-GEO strategic plan and emphasis on
Emerging Topics in Biogeochemical Cycles
• is recognized by international scientific organizations including
IGBP-iLEAPS and WCRP-GEWEX
There widespread recognition that this
research area is important but there are
major challenges associated with organizing
and funding the efforts that are required to
address the key scientific questions
How does the atmosphere respond
to changes in the biosphere?
Are there significant
interactions and feedbacks?
How does the biosphere
respond to the atmosphere?
BEACHON will initially focus on water-limited
ecosystems in the Southern Rocky Mountains
and compare and contrast with other ecosystems
Water-limited ecosystems:
Greatest response to changes in
precipitation
Cover half of the earth’s surface
Fast growing population centers
Tropical rainforest ecosystems:
High annual precipitation but often
have water-limited dry season
High annual biosphereatmosphere exchange rates
High rates of landcover change
Bio-hydro-atmosphere interactions of Energy, Aerosols, Carbon, H2O, Organics and Nitrogen
Organic
aerosol
processes
Biological
particles and
VOC
emissions
CO2
Carbon
Cycle
Cloud processes
Photooxidant
processes
Latent and H2O
sensible heat
NO/NH3
emission
Water & Energy
Cycles
Precipitation and
solar radiation
Disturbances:
Insect outbreaks
NOy
NH3
Nitrogen
Cycle
Ozone and N
deposition
Agriculture
BEACHON Approach: A Regional Focus
Regional biogeochemical and hydrological field measurements and modeling in
water-limited landscapes and other globally important ecosystems
Canopy and Boundary Layer
Studies: vertical flux and profile
measurements.
Models: MALTE (detailed 1D),
LES, WRF-LES
Parameterization
Leaf and Plant Scale
Studies: Quantify response
to temperature, solar
radiation, soil moisture
Upscaling and
Downscaling
modeling
techniques
Regional Scale Studies:
Observations: aircraft,
satellite, networks
Models: WRF-CHEM, NCRM
Parameterization
Global Earth
System Model
Within a Multi-scale Framework
Leaf/soil scale: laboratory and
chamber observations
Develop model
algorithms
Canopy and boundary layer scale:
tower, balloon, radar observations
MALTE (1D), LES, WRFLES modeling
Regional scale
Aircraft, satellite, regional network
observations
WRF-CHEM modeling
Global scale:
global network, satellite observations
Global Earth System modeling
bridging to the global scale
BEACHON Regional scale modeling:
WRF-CHEM
Chemistry
Weather
Emission and
deposition
Biology
Hydrology
BEACHON Regional scale measurements
Airborne measurements
•Energy, CO2, H2O, trace gas and aerosol
fluxes
•Clouds, atmospheric composition
•Landcover characteristics, soil moisture
Regional networks of long
term measurements:
• Rocky Raccoon network (CO2
measurements)
• Flux towers
• Eco-hydrological
observatories
Satellite measurements
•Clouds, atmospheric
composition
•Landcover
characteristics, soil
moisture
Quantifying regional biosphere-atmosphere
exchange using airborne platforms
U. Wyoming King Air
twin engine aircraft
Duke U.
HOP Bell
Helicopter
Purdue U. ALAR Duchess
twin engine aircraft
Duke Helicopter Observation Platform (HOP) for quantifying
regional biosphere-atmosphere exchange
Hovering
The sampling inlet in
front of the helicopter
nose is in disturbed
airflow when hovering
but is in undisturbed
airflow when moving
forward at > 20 m/s.
Disturbed
airflow
Moving
Disturbed
airflow
Avissar et al.
Duke HOP currently
has CO2, H2O and
energy flux
measurement systems.
BEACHON is supporting
the development of
VOC, O3, NOy, and
particle flux systems
BEACHON integration of modeling and measurements
Airplane and helicopter
observations of fluxes
and atmos. composition
RADAR/LIDAR
observations of
clouds/aerosol
Below, within and above
canopy observations of
energy, aerosols, carbon,
water, organics, nitrogen
fluxes
Ecological and hydrological
observations
LES and 1-D modeling
Short-term surface-tocloud scale studies
Satellite
observations
Driving
variables
Regional and
global earth
system modeling
Model
parameterization
Model
evaluation
Long-term regional
observational networks
BEACHON Science Themes
Atmospheric composition and processes: CO2,
clouds, aerosol, reactive gases
Precipitation variability
Bioatmosphere
exchanges of
energy,
aerosols,
carbon, water,
organics,
nitrogen
Ecosystem structure and
processes
Ecohydrological
disturbances
BEACHON Field Studies
• May/June 2007: contribution to CHATS (California)
• Feb 2008: contribution to LBA AMAZE (Amazon)
• July-September 2008: BEACHON SRM08 (Colorado)
• Summer 2009 - 2011: long-term measurements,
ground and airborne intensives (Wyoming, Colorado,
New Mexico)
May/June 2007 BEACHON contribution to CHATS
(Canopy Horizontal Array Turbulence Study)
Micrometeorology
Chemistry
Biology
NCAR TIIMES/ACD/MMM/EOL, Duke U., WSU, UC Davis participants
BEACHON-CHATS findings:
Plant Signaling Compounds
Methyl Salicylate
(MeSA): chemical
formula is similar to
asprin
Sensing plant stress
MeSA Induces organism-wide
enhanced defense against pathogen
infections (Park et al. 2007).
Scientists had looked for this signal
at
the canopy scale
for > 50 years but missed it because
it is airborne.
was
a major canopy-scale BVOC
MeSA
emission from this walnut plantation
indicating its importance for both the
biosphere and the atmosphere. Emissions
appear to respond to temperature extremes
and drought (Karl et al. Biogeosci. 2008).
Methyl salicylate emissions respond to water and
temperature stress
Karl et al.
Irrigation Off
Irrigation On
Daily Maximum Temperature – Daily Minimum Temperature
MeSA is the
dominant semivolatile VOC
emission from this
canopy and may be
a significant source
of secondary
organic aerosol and
could explain some
of the “missing”
SOA
BEACHON contributions to LBA-AMAZE: seasonal
variations in biogenic VOC emissions
Isoprene
Dry Season
Monoterpenes
Why are emissions
lower in the dry
season?
Wet Season
(lower LAI, light and
temperature)
BEACHON contributions to LBA-AMAZE:
Trace gas variations with height
Isoprene and monoterpenes are
emitted from the canopy
Sesquiterpenes are
emitted at ground
level
Height (m)
isoprene
Concentration (ppb)
monoterpene
sesquiterpene
As expected, ozone is deposited to the canopy and NO is emitted from soils
BEACHON SRM08
Manitou Experimental Forest, Colorado
Linking biogenic aerosol, clouds and precipitation
Primary and
secondary
particles
2. Oxidant and
aerosol
characteristics
and processing
1. Tower flux
measurements: VOC,
NOy and particle flux
(response to
precipitation)
4. RADAR and
optical obs.
of cloud
distributions and
characteristics
3. Release sonde
measurements of boundary
layer structure
5. Hydrological
and ecological
observations of
response to
precipitation
BEACHON SRM08
Manitou Experimental Forest, Colorado
Ponderosa Pine Woodland
Over 60 Participants from NCAR TIIMES/ACD/MMM/EOL/RAL, Wash.
State U., Colo. State U., Colo. College, U. Colo.-Boulder, U. Colo.-Denver,
Texas A&M, U. New Hampshire, U. Minnesota, U. Idaho, Cornell U.,
Oregon H.S. Univ., US Forest Service, US EPA, Los Alamos NL, Tokyo
Metro. Univ. (Japan), U. Innsbruck (Austria), U. Paul Sabatier (France)
BEACHON SRM08
Manitou Experimental Forest, Colorado
BEACHON supported
long-term infrastructure:
• 30 m walk-up tower
• 4 mobile laboratories
with trace gas and
aerosol analyzers
• Power: 400 Amps
• Broadband internet
• K-band radar
• eco-hydrological sensors
Preliminary findings:
• frequent particle
formation events
• generally remarkably
clean air- with occasional
pollution events
• biogenic VOC emissions
respond to precipitation
2009-2011 BEACHON SRM studies
FoSTER Eco-hydro-atmo observatory
proposed by U. Wyo.
Regional
Disturbance study
and Regional
Biogeochemical
Cycling study
Laramie
Landscape
Heterogeneity Study
USFS Fraser Exp. Forest
CU Niwot Ridge and
Boulder Creek
observatories
WYOMING
Denver
USFS Manitou
Exp. Forest
Colorado Springs
Bioaerosol study
COLORADO
UNM, UA, LANL Jemez
Mtns eco-hydro-atmo
observatory
NEW MEXICO
Santa Fe
Albuquerque
1. Eco-hydrological
Disturbance Study: The
impact of eco-hydrological
disturbances on the land
surface processes controlling
regional water and
biogeochemical cycles
2. Regional
Biogeochemical Cycling
Study: Constrain regional
estimates of water, carbon,
nitrogen and energy fluxes
across a semi-arid climatic
gradient
3. Landscape
Heterogeneity Study: The
role of landscape
heterogeneity in regulating the
surface-atmosphere
exchanges that influence
water and biogeochemical
cycles
4. Bioaerosol Study: The
role of biogenic aerosol in
regulating biogeochemical and
water cycles
http://www.tiimes.ucar.edu/beachon/
Transformative Research
•
Ecohydrological response to precipitation variability
• Bioaerosol-Cloud-Water interactions
• Carbon-Nitrogen-Water coupling
• Ecohydrological disturbances
Interdisciplinary
Integrative
•
•
Leaf, canopy, landscape,
regional, global scales
• Observations and
modeling
• Education and outreach
BEACHON
Atmospheric Chemistry
• Meteorological sciences
• Climate sciences
• Biological sciences
• Hydrological sciences