Air chemistry over the tropical forest of Guyana

Abstract

The tropical forests of the world are hypothesized to be an important source and/or sink for a number of atmospheric gas and aerosol species. As part of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Global Tropospheric Experiment, an aircraft flight (June 27, 1984) was conducted over the wet tropical forest of Guyana for purposes of characterizing the forest boundary layer. Instrumentation onboard the NASA Electra aircraft included measurement systems for a variety of chemical species, including ozone, carbon monoxide, dimethylsulfide, nonmethane hydrocarbons, and aerosols. The data reported represent the first comprehensive characterization of the wet tropical forest boundary layer from an aircraft platform. The data indicate that the boundary layer is a source of carbon monoxide, isoprene, and dimethylsulfide as well as being a sink for ozone. Reported aerosol data, including number density, mass concentration, and composition, indicate an increased aerosol presence in the boundary layer relative to the overriding troposphere. From an analysis of the aerosol composition this increase is the result of direct emissions from the forest as well as from various photochemical processes. The data are discussed in terms of their significance in the understanding of the wet tropical forest boundary layer as a source or sink for various species important to tropospheric chemistry.