Global Biomass Burning Atmospheric, Climatic and Biospheric Implications

About this book

Considers biomass burning - the burning of forests, grasslands and agricultural fields after the harvest - as a major global phenomenon, and assesses its impact on the atmosphere, on climate, and on the biosphere itself. Contributions are from 158 scientists from around the world, providing a region by region assessment.

Contents

Part 1 Biomass burning - remote sensing and global and geographical distribution: biomass burning - its history, use, and distribution and its impact on environmental quality and global climate; biomass burning studies and the international global atmospheric chemistry (IGAC) project; astronaut observations of global biomass burning; geostationary satellite estimation of biomass burning in Amazonia during BASE-A; remote sensing of biomass burning in West Africa with NOAA-AVHRR; characterization of active fires in West African Savannas by analysis of satellite data - Landsat Thematic Mapper; the Great Chinese Fire of 1987 - a view from space; problems in global fire evaluation - is remote sensing the solution? Part 2 Biomass burning in tropical ecosystems: biomass burning and the disappearing tropical rainforest; tropical wild-land fires and global changes - prehistoric evidence, present fire regimes and future trends; greenhouse gas contributions from deforestation in Brazilian Amazonia; biomass burning in the Brazilian Amazon region - measurements of CO and O3; ozone concentrations in the Brazilian Amazonia during BASE-A; a comparison of wet and dry season ozone and CO over Brazil using in situ and satellite measurements; effects of vegetation burning on the atmosheric chemistry of the Venezuelan Savanna; biomass burning in Africa - an assessment of annually burned biomass; biomass burning in West African Savannas; tropospheric ozone and biomass burning in intertropical Africa; Savanna burning and convective mixing in Southern Africa - implications for CO emissions and transport; light hydrocarbons emissions from African Savanna burnings; emissions of carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur from biomass burning in Nigeria; influence of biomass burning emissions on precipitation chemistry in the equatorial forests of Africa; biomass burning aerosols in a Savanna region of the Ivory Coast; long-lived radon daughters signature of Savanna fires; biomass burning in India. Part 3 Biomass burning in temperate and boreal ecosystems: the extent and impact of forest fires in Northern Circumpolar countries; trace gas and particulate emissions from biomass burning in temperate ecosystems; particulate and trace gas emissions from large biomass fires in North America; ammonia and nitric acid emissions from wetlands and boreal forest fires; FTIR remote sensing of biomass burning emissions of CO2, CO, CH4, CH2O, NO, NO2, NH3 and N2O; aerosol characterization in smoke plumes from a wetlands fire; the measurement of trace emissions and combustion characteristics for a mass fire; carbonaceous aerosols from prescribed burning of a boreal forest ecosystem; biomass burning - combustion emissions, satellite imagery, and biogenic emissions; changes in marsh soils for six months after a fire. (Part contents).

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Biography

Joel S. Levine is Senior Research Scientist in the Atmospheric Sciences Division, NASA Langley Research Center and is the Principal Investigator of NASA's research program on global biomass burning, Biospheric Research Program, Office of Space Sciences and Applications.