Bio-hydro-atmosphere interactions of Energy, Aerosols, Carbon, H 2 O, Organics and Nitrogen

Bio-hydro-atmosphere interactions of Energy,Aerosols,Carbon, H2O, Organics and Nitrogen

BEACHON Project

Alex GuentherEarth and Sun Systems Laboratory

National Center for Atmospheric ResearchBoulder CO USA

Motivation for the BEACHON Project •The earth system is changingThe earth system is changing•Need to predict changes and their Need to predict changes and their

impacts on time scales of months to impacts on time scales of months to

years years •Requires understanding of the Requires understanding of the

coupling of energy, water, carbon and coupling of energy, water, carbon and

biogeochemical cycles in a multi-scale biogeochemical cycles in a multi-scale

framework. framework. •Requires modeling, observations Requires modeling, observations

and process studies and process studies •Sensitivity of water-limited Sensitivity of water-limited

landscapeslandscapes

• is prominent in the NCAR 2006 strategic plan

• is prominent in the NSF-GEO strategic plan and emphasis on Emerging Topics in Biogeochemical Cycles

• is recognized by international scientific organizations including IGBP-iLEAPS and WCRP-GEWEX

The importance of Bio-hydro-atmosphere interactions of Energy, Aerosols, Carbon, H2O, Organics and Nitrogen

There widespread recognition that this research area is important but there are major challenges associated with organizing and funding the efforts that are required to address the key scientific questions

How does the atmosphere respond to changes in the biosphere?

How does the biosphere respond to the atmosphere?

Are there significant interactions and feedbacks?

Water-limited ecosystems:

Greatest response to changes in precipitation

Cover half of the earth’s surface

Fast growing population centers

BEACHON will initially focus on water-limited ecosystems in the Southern Rocky Mountains

Tropical rainforest ecosystems:

High annual precipitation but often have water-limited dry season

High annual biosphere-atmosphere exchange rates

High rates of landcover change

and compare and contrast with other ecosystems

Agriculture

Organic aerosol

processes

Photo-oxidant

processes

Cloud processes

Bio-hydro-atmosphere interactions of Energy, Aerosols, Carbon, H2O, Organics and Nitrogen

Carbon Cycle

Nitrogen Cycle

Water & Energy Cycles

Ozone and N deposition

NO/NH3 emission

CO2H2O NOy

NH3

Precipitation and solar radiation

Latent and sensible heat

Biological particles and VOC emissions

Insect outbreaksDisturbances:

Canopy and Boundary Layer Studies: vertical flux and profile

measurements. Models: MALTE (detailed 1D),

LES, WRF-LES

Upscaling and Downscaling modeling techniques

Regional biogeochemical and hydrological field measurements and modeling in water-limited landscapes and other globally important ecosystems

Regional Scale Studies: Observations: aircraft,

satellite, networksModels: WRF-CHEM, NCRM

Leaf and Plant Scale Studies: Quantify response

to temperature, solar radiation, soil moisture

Global Earth System Model

Parameterization Parameterization

BEACHON Approach: A Regional Focus

Within a Multi-scale Framework

Leaf/soil scale: laboratory and chamber observations

Develop model algorithms

Canopy and boundary layer scale: tower, balloon, radar observations

MALTE (1D), LES, WRF-LES modeling

WRF-CHEM modeling

Regional scale

Aircraft, satellite, regional network observations

Global scale:

global network, satellite observations

Global Earth System modeling

bridging to the global scale

BEACHON Regional scale modeling: WRF-CHEM

ChemistryWeather

Biology

Emission and deposition

Hydrology

BEACHON Regional scale measurements

Regional networks of long term measurements:

• Rocky Raccoon network (CO2 measurements)

• Flux towers • Eco-hydrological

observatories

Airborne measurements•Energy, CO2, H2O, trace gas and aerosol

fluxes•Clouds, atmospheric composition

•Landcover characteristics, soil moisture

Satellite measurements•Clouds,

atmospheric composition•Landcover

characteristics, soil moisture

Purdue U. ALAR Duchess twin engine aircraft

Quantifying regional biosphere-atmosphere exchange using airborne platforms

U. Wyoming King Air twin engine aircraft

Duke U. HOP Bell Helicopter

The sampling inlet in front of the helicopter nose is in disturbed airflow when hovering but is in undisturbed airflow when moving forward at > 20 m/s.

Duke HOP currently has CO2, H2O and energy flux measurement systems. BEACHON is supporting the development of VOC, O3, NOy, and particle flux systems

Duke Helicopter Observation Platform (HOP) for quantifying regional biosphere-atmosphere exchange

Disturbed airflow

Disturbed airflow

Avissar et al.

Hovering

Moving

LE

S an

d 1-D

mo

delin

g

Regional and global earth

system modeling

Satellite observations

Long-term regional observational networks

RADAR/LIDAR observations of clouds/aerosol

Airplane and helicopter observations of fluxes and atmos. composition

Below, within and above canopy observations of energy, aerosols, carbon, water, organics, nitrogen fluxes

Ecological and hydrological observations

Short-term surface-to-cloud scale studies

Driving variables

Model evaluation

Model parameterization

BEACHON integration of modeling and measurements

Atmospheric composition and processes: CO2, clouds, aerosol, reactive gases

Ecosystem structure and processes

Ecohydrological disturbances

Bio-atmosphere

exchanges ofenergy,

aerosols, carbon, water,

organics, nitrogen

Precip

itation

variab

ility

BEACHON Science Themes

BEACHON Field Studies

• May/June 2007: contribution to CHATS (California)

• Feb 2008: contribution to LBA AMAZE (Amazon)

• July-September 2008: BEACHON SRM08 (Colorado)

• Summer 2009 - 2011: long-term measurements, ground and airborne intensives (Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico)

May/June 2007 BEACHON contribution to CHATS(Canopy Horizontal Array Turbulence Study)

NCAR TIIMES/ACD/MMM/EOL, Duke U., WSU, UC Davis participants

Micrometeorology

Chemistry

Biology

MeSA Induces organism-wide enhanced defense against pathogen infections (Park et al. 2007). Scientists had looked for this signal for > 50 years but missed it because it is airborne.MeSA was a major canopy-scale BVOC

emission from this walnut plantation indicating its importance for both the biosphere and the atmosphere. Emissions appear to respond to temperature extremes and drought (Karl et al. Biogeosci. 2008).

Sensing plant stress at the canopy scale

Methyl Salicylate (MeSA): chemical

formula is similar to asprin

BEACHON-CHATS findings: Plant Signaling Compounds

Methyl salicylate emissions respond to water and temperature stress

MeSA is the dominant semi-volatile VOC emission from this canopy and may be a significant source of secondary organic aerosol and could explain some of the “missing” SOA

Daily Maximum Temperature – Daily Minimum Temperature

Irrigation Off

Irrigation On

Karl et al.

BEACHON contributions to LBA-AMAZE: seasonal variations in biogenic VOC emissions

Dry Season

Wet Season(lower LAI, light and temperature)

Isoprene

Monoterpenes

Why are emissions lower in the dry season?

BEACHON contributions to LBA-AMAZE: Trace gas variations with height

Isoprene and monoterpenes are emitted from the canopy

As expected, ozone is deposited to the canopy and NO is emitted from soils

isoprenemonoterpene

sesquiterpeneConcentration (ppb)

Heig

ht

(m)

Sesquiterpenes are emitted at ground level

2. Oxidant and aerosol characteristics and processing

BEACHON SRM08

Manitou Experimental Forest, Colorado

Primary and

secondary particles

Linking biogenic aerosol, clouds and precipitation

1. Tower flux measurements: VOC, NOy and particle flux

(response to precipitation)

3. Release sonde measurements of boundary layer structure

4. RADAR and optical obs. of cloud distributions and characteristics

5. Hydrological and ecological observations of response to precipitation

Over 60 Participants from NCAR TIIMES/ACD/MMM/EOL/RAL, Wash. State U., Colo. State U., Colo. College, U. Colo.-Boulder, U. Colo.-Denver, Texas A&M, U. New Hampshire, U. Minnesota, U. Idaho, Cornell U., Oregon H.S. Univ., US Forest Service, US EPA, Los Alamos NL, Tokyo Metro. Univ. (Japan), U. Innsbruck (Austria), U. Paul Sabatier (France)

BEACHON SRM08

Manitou Experimental Forest, Colorado

Ponderosa Pine Woodland

BEACHON SRM08 Manitou Experimental Forest, Colorado

BEACHON supported long-term infrastructure: • 30 m walk-up tower• 4 mobile laboratories with trace gas and aerosol analyzers• Power: 400 Amps• Broadband internet• K-band radar• eco-hydrological sensors Preliminary findings:• frequent particle formation events• generally remarkably clean air- with occasional pollution events• biogenic VOC emissions respond to precipitation

USFS Manitou Exp. Forest

UNM, UA, LANL Jemez Mtns eco-hydro-atmo observatory

Albuquerque

Santa Fe

Colorado Springs

Denver

Regional Disturbance study and Regional Biogeochemical Cycling study

NEW MEXICO

COLORADO

WYOMING

Laramie

CU Niwot Ridge and Boulder Creek observatories

FoSTER Eco-hydro-atmo observatory proposed by U. Wyo.

USFS Fraser Exp. Forest

Bioaerosol study

Landscape Heterogeneity Study

1. Eco-hydrological Disturbance Study: The impact of eco-hydrological disturbances on the land surface processes controlling regional water and biogeochemical cycles2. Regional Biogeochemical Cycling Study: Constrain regional estimates of water, carbon, nitrogen and energy fluxes across a semi-arid climatic gradient3. Landscape Heterogeneity Study: The role of landscape heterogeneity in regulating the surface-atmosphere exchanges that influence water and biogeochemical cycles4. Bioaerosol Study: The role of biogenic aerosol in regulating biogeochemical and water cycles

2009-2011 BEACHON SRM studies

BEACHON

http://www.tiimes.ucar.edu/beachon/

Transformative Research• Ecohydrological response to precipitation variability• Bioaerosol-Cloud-Water interactions• Carbon-Nitrogen-Water coupling• Ecohydrological disturbances

Integrative• Leaf, canopy, landscape, regional, global scales• Observations and modeling• Education and outreach

Interdisciplinary• Atmospheric Chemistry• Meteorological sciences• Climate sciences• Biological sciences• Hydrological sciences