Amazonia and ClimateAmazonia and Climate

A.D. Nobre, INPA

Side Event Institute for Environmental Security

UNFCC COP12

15 November 2006, Nairobi Kenya

Socrates Dream

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Greenhouse Earth 95% CO2

Present day Earth 0.037% CO2

30% output increase

The changes in atmospheric composition are highly correlated with climate stability

Biogeochemical Climate Thermostat

A multidisciplinary stroll through Earth evolution

See details in the GCP CD: Earth, a Living Planet

A multidisciplinary stroll through Earth evolution

See details in the GCP CD: Earth, a Living Planet

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The Green Ocean The Green Ocean

2 years data from TRMM satellite

Animation Credit NASA Goddard

TROPICAL RAINFALL

[DATA]

20 years of Surface Temperature

[DATA] Data & Animation Credit NASA

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Biosphere – Atmosphere relations

More Power than Meets the Eyes

Biosphere – Atmosphere relations

More Power than Meets the Eyes

300 liters of water transpired per day by a

single big tree !

300 liters of water transpired per day by a

single big tree !

Equivalent to 20 billion tons for the whole

Amazon !

Equivalent to 20 billion tons for the whole

Amazon !Or 135 years of Itaipu at full

power !!Or 135 years of Itaipu at full

power !!

RAINFALL MECHANISM IN AN UNDISTURBED RAINFORESTRAINFALL MECHANISM IN AN UNDISTURBED RAINFOREST

Photo Credit Antonio D Nobre

RAINFALL MECHANISM IN AN UNDISTURBED RAINFOREST

CLEAN ATMOSPHERE

VOCs

based on results of LBA: Claeys et al and Andrea et al. Science 2004; Marengo et al 2004, 2005; others

TROPICALATLANTICOCEAN

EVAPOTRANSPIRATION

26%

H2OVAPORH2OVAPOR

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[MODEL]

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RAINFALL MECHANISM IN AN UNDISTURBED RAINFOREST

Volatile Organic Tree

Modified from Fall, R., University of Colorado, Boulder at http://www.rfall.net/

LightLight

LeavesLeaves

Isoprene

SesquiterpenesMonoterpenes

FormaldhydeFormic Acid

AcetaldehydeAcetic Acid

EthanolAcetone

Flowers

Floral Scents

Resin ducts or glands

Stored Terpenes

Resin ducts or glands

Stored Terpenes

Leaves, Stems, Roots

Cell Membranes

Defense + Herbivory

Cell Walls

by-products

Many Tissues

Phytohormones

Methanol

C5, C6

VOCs

Ethylene

100s of VOCs

Methyl Salicylate

Methyl Jasmonate

Polimerization: Terpenes

Metabolism

The Forgotten Droplets The Forgotten Droplets

RAINFALL MECHANISM IN AN UNDISTURBED RAINFOREST

CLEAN ATMOSPHERE

VOCs

PHOTOXIDATION

TROPICALATLANTICOCEAN

+Warm

Low LevelClouds

Heavy but GentleRainfall

based on results of LBA: Claeys et al and Andrea et al. Science 2004; Marengo et al 2004, 2005; others

BiogenicCloud Condensation

Nuclei (CCNs)

H2OVAPOR

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[MODEL]

RAINFALL MECHANISM IN AN UNDISTURBED RAINFOREST

CLEAN ATMOSPHERE

VOCs

PHOTOXIDATION

TROPICALATLANTICOCEAN

+

INTERCEPTION15%

WarmLow Level

Clouds

Heavy but GentleRainfall

based on results of LBA: Claeys et al and Andrea et al. Science 2004; Marengo et al 2004, 2005; others

H2OVAPORH2OVAPOR

EVAPOTRANSPIRATION

26%

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BiogenicCloud Condensation

Nuclei (CCNs)

[MODEL]

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.

(e) Biotic pump of atmospheric moisture: transpiration fluxes regulated by naturalforests exceed oceanic evaporation fluxes to the degree when the arising oceanto-

land fluxes of moist air become large enough to compensate losses of water torunoff in the entire river basin.

FORESTED-LAND CIRCULATION [MODEL]

giraffes elephant

Paleoclimates and Vegetation:

Suggestions from the Mega fauna

Wildebeest

The Amazon Rainforest has a Powerful and Key

Influence on Climate

Photo Credit Antonio D Nobre

How does this Influence Plays Elsewhere on the

Globe?

Healthy forest–atmosphere exchanges can affect the

hydrological cycle elsewhere

Valuing Ecosystem Services

Global water vapor, one week mosaic

Click mouse here => <= to Start / Stop rain animation

Airborne Rivers of Vapor

Airborne Rivers of Vapor

[DATA]

?

?

Fonte mapa: material internet

[DATA]

Geography of ClimateGeography of Climate

First, let’s observe and understand

global atmospheric circulation

Surface heating on the equatorial

zone produces strong upwellings of air. Rising air cools and looses moisture, making these rainy areas

...when the dry air falls in the other extreme of the Hadley cells it warms up and takes moisture from

the surface... making these dry 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 ATLANTI C

HADLEY CONVEYOR BELTCO

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TRADE WINDS TRANSPORT MOISTURE

HIGH WINDS TRANSPORT HEAT

[MODEL]

The ENGINEThe ENGINE

30 years of South America Rainfall

Source: Willmot & Webber, 1998, http://daac.ornl.gov//LBA/guides/lba_willmott.html

[DATA]

Marengo et al, 2005

The Explanation : South American Monsoon

[MODEL]

RAINFALL MECHANISM IN A DISTURBED RAINFOREST

H2O VAPOR

DIRTY ATMOSPHERE

VOCsX

EVAPOTRANSPIRATION

TROPICALATLANTICOCEAN

based on results of ABRACOS project 2000 and LBA: Andrea et al. Science,; others

People destroy the Garden of Eden…

What happens then?

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LBA

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[MODEL]

RAINFALL MECHANISM IN A DISTURBED RAINFOREST

H2O VAPOR+

DIRTY ATMOSPHERE

COLDToweringClouds

TROPICALATLANTICOCEAN

based on results of ABRACOS project 2000 and LBA: Andrea et al. Science,; others

SootDust

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Smoky Dissipative

Clouds

Suppression of

Rainfall

Dry Season or Drought

[MODEL]

(a) Deserts: evaporation on land is close to zero, so the low level air moves fromland to the ocean year round, thus "locking" the desert for moisture.

DESERT CIRCULATION

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.

[MODEL]

Amazon River, 2005Amazon River, 2005