Evaluation of CO2 flux modification as a function of aerosol optical depth at Bananal Island, Tocantins, Brazil

Abstract

The Bananal Island is a flooded ecotonal area between the Amazon rain forest and the Brazilian savanna (Cerrado). It is the largest fluvial island in the world and an ecological protected area. However, the surrounding areas are burned to expand agricultural and cattle farmer productions. During the dry season, large amounts of aerosols are emitted into the atmosphere interacting with solar radiation. The diffuse part of the light can penetrate better into complex canopies enhancing the ecosystem productivity, a phenomenon known as "The Diffuse Fertilization Effect". Considering a time frame of one year, the ecosystems productivity is mainly controlled by meteorological variables like temperature, vapor pressure deficit (VPD), etc, and by the natural cycles of vegetation (circadian cycles). The Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) technique was used in this study to determinate the influence of smoke on CO2 flux at this site. © 2013 AIP Publishing LLC.