RAPID: Biogenic Volatile Organic Compounds (BVOC) Distributions across the Amazon Basin during the Chemistry of the Amazon-Field Experiment (CAFE) Campaign

This RAPID project is focused on quantifying and improving knowledge about the processes that control variations in the surface-layer concentrations of gases emitted from vegetation in the Amazon. American scientists will take advantage of the January 2023 Brazilian-led Chemistry of the Amazon - Field Experiment in Brazil (CAFE-BRAZIL) river cruise to collect observations of isoprene and other biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOC) along a transect from the central to northwestern Amazon. As the biosphere is the dominant source of the organic gases in the atmosphere that interact with anthropogenic pollution to form ozone and secondary aerosol, the ultimate societal benefit of this project will be an improved ability to assess the total impact of human activities on climate and air quality. The primary objectives of this project are to: 1) quantify isoprene and other BVOC diurnal and spatial variations from central to northwestern Amazon; 2) relate BVOC variations to climate and land cover; and 3) use the results to improve the MEGAN BVOC emission model predictability of processes controlling BVOC emission and their response to climate change. A mechanistic understanding of these processes could transform the approaches used to model isoprene and other BVOC emissions in the Amazon tropical rainforest and other highly biodiverse ecosystems. The data collected during this project will increase the understanding of biological processes that control the variations and distributions of gaseous emissions from vegetation in the Amazon, and improve model predictions of ecosystem responses to climate change. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.