The of this phase we will complement the monitoring and do fieldwork for the most affected region, of Peru, Tambopata, but we will also increase our efforts to include our results and considerations into the political discussion.
Southern Amazon covered by smoke during burning season.
During first phase we identified sources of air pollution over Amazon of Peru. The most polluted region is southern Amazon, border of Peru, Brazil and Bolivia. The next phase will determine the effects of this pollution, related to biomass burning, in incoming solar radiation and its links with biogenic emissions of forests. Satellite data will be collected, and special field campaigns will be organized to evaluate physical and chemical properties of aerosols during dry and wet seasons. Biogenic emissions will be used as indicators of forest response to these changes and provide information to policymakers.
Biomass burning is one of the most important sources of air pollution in the tropical region. It has special concern over the Amazon of Peru.
Our previous research funded by RSG detected the southern Amazon, border of Peru, Brazil and Bolivia as the most critical region but also a poor studied region. Air pollution has an important effect on incoming solar radiation, it reduces the sunlight available for leaves and this reduction can produce physiological changes in trees and forests. Biogenic volatile organic compounds can be an important indicator for evaluating this adaptation to a changing light environment.
There is a need to understand both the radiative effects of aerosols and the plant mechanisms to adapt to light changes, specially the Photosynthetically Active Region (PAR) from 400-700nm. A combination of satellite and ground measurements can provide us insights about this effect in a region that has yearly episodes of high pollution.