Abstract ID: 706

Comparative measurements of water, energy and carbon fluxes from a forest regrowth fragment and pristine forest in central Amazonia

Land-use change provides a small but significant contribution to warming of the climate system. In the tropics, the conversion of forests into pastures or agriculture fields is a common practice. This leads to a crescent fragmentation of the forest continuum, as well as to changes in the energy balance, water use efficiency, and carbon balance. Since June 2008, a newly erected tower has been measuring continuously the water, energy and carbon fluxes of a forest fragment near Manaus, Brazil, in central Amazonia. The goal is to provide information that is lacking about this type of vegetation cover as well to compare the data gathered from this novel site with that of a long-term site established in a pristine forest nearby, the K34 site. Latent heat, sensible heat and CO2 fluxes, as well as meteorological variables measured above and below the surface, spanning from June to November 2008, are presented. In addition, comparative analyses of evaporation, water-use efficiency, and carbon assimilation between the two forests are also made.

Session:  Feedbacks to Climate - Land cover, surface hydrology, and atmospheric feedbacks. (B)

Presentation Type:  Oral