A new project at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) aims to asses how trees and other vegetation influence rainfall, temperature, smog and other atmospheric elements. The Bio-Hydro-Atmosphere-Interactions of Energy, Aerosols, Carbon, H2O, Organics and Nitrogen (BEACHON) project is funded by the National Science Foundation, with the aim to provide insights into cloud formation, climate change, and the cycling of gases and particles between the land and the atmosphere.
The monitoring system will be located in the western United States in part to assess the impact of beetle killed pines. The loss of this large area of forest will lead to temporary temperature increases, in part due to a lack of foliage to reflect the Sun’s heat. Increased heat may change cloud and precipitation patterns for a decade or more. The alteration from a living forest to a dead one provides a valuable scientific measure at a large scale.
The observations of the BEACHON project will include sensors aboard aircraft, towers that reach above the forest canopy to measure emissions 100 feet above the ground, soil and moisture sensors, instruments for gases and tiny particles, radar, and lidar. The project will continue for four years, with aims to accurately assess the total environmental impact of land-use and ecological disturbances. The project takes a broad multidisciplinary approach that hopes to extend this research internationally.
