Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics www.atmos-chem-phys.net 1680-7316 1680-7324 6 6 2006 10.5194/acp-6-1645-2006 http://www.atmos-chem-phys.net/6/1645/2006/ http://www.atmos-chem-phys.net/6/1645/2006/acp-6-1645-2006.html http://www.atmos-chem-phys.net/6/1645/2006/acp-6-1645-2006.pdf 1645 1656 2006-05-22 Effect of smoke and clouds on the transmissivity of photosynthetically active radiation inside the canopy M. A. Yamasoe C. von Randow A. O. Manzi J. S. Schafer T. F. Eck B. N. Holben Instituto de Astronomia, Geofísica e Ciências Atmosféricas da Universidade de São Paulo, Rua do Matão, 1226, São Paulo, SP, 05508-090, Brazil Alterra, Wageningen University and Research Centre, P.O. Box 47, 6700 AA, Wageningen, The Netherlands Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Av. André Araújo, 2936 – Alojamento 9/Casa 21, Manaus, AM, 69060-001, Brazil Science Systems and Applications, Inc., 10210 Greenbelt Road, Suite 600, Lanham, MD 20706, USA NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, 20771, Biospheric Sciences Branch, Code 614.4, USA Goddard Earth Sciences and Technology Center, University of Maryland-Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD 21228, USA Biomass burning activities emit high concentrations of aerosol particles to the atmosphere. Such particles can interact with solar radiation, decreasing the amount of light reaching the surface and increasing the fraction of diffuse radiation through scattering processes, and thus has implications for photosynthesis within plant canopies. This work reports results from photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) and aerosol optical depth (AOD) measurements conducted simultaneously at Reserva Biológica do Jaru (Rondonia State, Brazil) during LBA/SMOCC (Large-Scale Biosphere-Atmosphere Experiment in Amazonia/ Smoke, Aerosols, Clouds, Rainfall, and Climate) and RaCCI (Radiation, Cloud, and Climate Interactions in the Amazon during the Dry-to-Wet Transition Season) field experiments from 15 September to 15 November 2002. AOD values were retrieved from an AERONET (Aerosol Robotic Network) radiometer, MODIS (Moderate Resolution Spectroradiometer) and a portable sunphotometer from the United States Department of Agriculture – Forest Service. Significant reduction of PAR irradiance at the top of the canopy was observed due to the smoke aerosol particles layer. This radiation reduction affected turbulent fluxes of sensible and latent heats. The increase of AOD also enhanced the transmission of PAR inside the canopy. As a consequence, the availability of diffuse radiation was enhanced due to light scattering by the aerosol particles. A complex relationship was identified between light availability inside the canopy and net ecosystem exchange (NEE). The results showed that the increase of aerosol optical depth corresponded to an increase of CO₂ uptake by the vegetation. However, for even higher AOD values, the corresponding NEE was lower than for intermediate values. As expected, water vapor pressure deficit (VPD), retrieved at 28m height inside the canopy, can also affect photosynthesis. A decrease in NEE was observed as VPD increased. Further studies are needed to better understand these findings, which were reported for the first time for the Amazon region under smoky conditions.