ORCID Profile
0000-0002-5453-3967
Current Organisation
University of Graz
Does something not look right? The information on this page has been harvested from data sources that may not be up to date. We continue to work with information providers to improve coverage and quality. To report an issue, use the Feedback Form.
Publisher: Copernicus GmbH
Date: 16-07-2018
DOI: 10.5194/ACP-18-10055-2018
Abstract: Abstract. In the Amazonian atmosphere, the aerosol coarse mode comprises a complex, erse, and variable mixture of bioaerosols emitted from the rain forest ecosystem, long-range transported Saharan dust (we use Sahara as shorthand for the dust source regions in Africa north of the Equator), marine aerosols from the Atlantic Ocean, and coarse smoke particles from deforestation fires. For the rain forest, the coarse mode particles are of significance with respect to biogeochemical and hydrological cycling, as well as ecology and biogeography. However, knowledge on the physicochemical and biological properties as well as the ecological role of the Amazonian coarse mode is still sparse. This study presents results from multi-year coarse mode measurements at the remote Amazon Tall Tower Observatory (ATTO) site. It combines online aerosol observations, selected remote sensing and modeling results, as well as dedicated coarse mode s ling and analysis. The focal points of this study are a systematic characterization of aerosol coarse mode abundance and properties in the Amazonian atmosphere as well as a detailed analysis of the frequent, pulse-wise intrusion of African long-range transport (LRT) aerosols (comprising Saharan dust and African biomass burning smoke) into the Amazon Basin.We find that, on a multi-year time scale, the Amazonian coarse mode maintains remarkably constant concentration levels (with 0.4 cm−3 and 4.0 µg m−3 in the wet vs. 1.2 cm−3 and 6.5 µg m−3 in the dry season) with rather weak seasonality (in terms of abundance and size spectrum), which is in stark contrast to the pronounced biomass burning-driven seasonality of the submicron aerosol population and related parameters. For most of the time, bioaerosol particles from the forest biome account for a major fraction of the coarse mode background population. However, from December to April there are episodic intrusions of African LRT aerosols, comprising Saharan dust, sea salt particles from the transatlantic passage, and African biomass burning smoke. Remarkably, during the core period of this LRT season (i.e., February–March), the presence of LRT influence, occurring as a sequence of pulse-like plumes, appears to be the norm rather than an exception. The LRT pulses increase the coarse mode concentrations drastically (up to 100 µg m−3) and alter the coarse mode composition as well as its size spectrum. Efficient transport of the LRT plumes into the Amazon Basin takes place in response to specific mesoscale circulation patterns in combination with the episodic absence of rain-related aerosol scavenging en route. Based on a modeling study, we estimated a dust deposition flux of 5–10 kg ha−1 a−1 in the region of the ATTO site. Furthermore, a chemical analysis quantified the substantial increase of crustal and sea salt elements under LRT conditions in comparison to the background coarse mode composition. With these results, we estimated the deposition fluxes of various elements that are considered as nutrients for the rain forest ecosystem. These estimates range from few g ha−1 a−1 up to several hundreds of g ha−1 a−1 in the ATTO region.The long-term data presented here provide a statistically solid basis for future studies of the manifold aspects of the dynamic coarse mode aerosol cycling in the Amazon. Thus, it may help to understand its biogeochemical relevance in this ecosystem as well as to evaluate to what extent anthropogenic influences have altered the coarse mode cycling already.
Publisher: Copernicus GmbH
Date: 28-09-2015
DOI: 10.5194/ACP-15-10723-2015
Abstract: Abstract. The Amazon Basin plays key roles in the carbon and water cycles, climate change, atmospheric chemistry, and bio ersity. It has already been changed significantly by human activities, and more pervasive change is expected to occur in the coming decades. It is therefore essential to establish long-term measurement sites that provide a baseline record of present-day climatic, biogeochemical, and atmospheric conditions and that will be operated over coming decades to monitor change in the Amazon region, as human perturbations increase in the future. The Amazon Tall Tower Observatory (ATTO) has been set up in a pristine rain forest region in the central Amazon Basin, about 150 km northeast of the city of Manaus. Two 80 m towers have been operated at the site since 2012, and a 325 m tower is nearing completion in mid-2015. An ecological survey including a bio ersity assessment has been conducted in the forest region surrounding the site. Measurements of micrometeorological and atmospheric chemical variables were initiated in 2012, and their range has continued to broaden over the last few years. The meteorological and micrometeorological measurements include temperature and wind profiles, precipitation, water and energy fluxes, turbulence components, soil temperature profiles and soil heat fluxes, radiation fluxes, and visibility. A tree has been instrumented to measure stem profiles of temperature, light intensity, and water content in cryptogamic covers. The trace gas measurements comprise continuous monitoring of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, methane, and ozone at five to eight different heights, complemented by a variety of additional species measured during intensive c aigns (e.g., VOC, NO, NO2, and OH reactivity). Aerosol optical, microphysical, and chemical measurements are being made above the canopy as well as in the canopy space. They include aerosol light scattering and absorption, fluorescence, number and volume size distributions, chemical composition, cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) concentrations, and hygroscopicity. In this paper, we discuss the scientific context of the ATTO observatory and present an overview of results from ecological, meteorological, and chemical pilot studies at the ATTO site.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 30-07-2020
DOI: 10.1111/GCB.15232
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 23-04-2019
DOI: 10.1038/S41598-019-42911-6
Abstract: Biological soil crusts (biocrusts) occur within drylands throughout the world, covering ~12% of the global terrestrial soil surface. Their occurrence in the deserts of the Arabian Peninsula has rarely been reported and their spatial distribution, ersity, and microbial composition remained largely unexplored. We investigated biocrusts at six different locations in the coastal and central deserts of Oman. The biocrust types were characterized, and the bacterial and fungal community compositions of biocrusts and uncrusted soils were analysed by licon sequencing. The results were interpreted based on the environmental parameters of the different sites. Whereas at lowland sites, mainly cyanobacteria-dominated biocrusts were observed, both cyanobacteria- and lichen-dominated biocrusts occurred at mountain sites. The majority of bacterial sequences (32–83% of total sequences) belonged to Actinobacteria, Cyanobacteria, Alphaproteobacteria, and Bacteroidetes, whereas fungal sequences belonged to Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, and Chytridiomycota ( %). With biocrust development, a notable increase in cyanobacterial and decrease in actinobacterial proportions was observed for cyanobacteria-dominated crusts. In coastal areas, where salinity is high, biocrusts were replaced by a unique marine mat-like microbial community, dominated by halotolerant taxa. Redundancy analysis revealed a significant contribution of soil texture, cover type, carbon content, and elevation to the variations in bacterial and fungal communities. Multivariate analysis placed microbial communities in significantly separated clusters based on their carbon content, elevation and electrical conductivity. We conclude that Oman hosts a variety of cyanobacteria- and lichen-dominated crusts with their bacterial and fungal communities being largely dictated by soil properties and environmental parameters.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2020
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 29-11-2022
DOI: 10.1111/JBI.14542
Abstract: Lichens and mosses play important functional roles in all terrestrial ecosystems, particularly in tundra and drylands. As with all taxa, to maintain their current niche in a changing climate, lichens and mosses will have to migrate. However, there are no published estimates of future habitat suitability or necessary rates of migration for members of these groups at the global scale. Lichens and mosses. Global. Using global occurrence data, we conducted ensemble distribution models in the ‘biomod2’ R package, parameterised with a range of climatic, land use and soil variables, to estimate current and future (2100) habitat suitability in 16 abundant species of lichen and moss. Without considering dispersal limitation, suitable area was forecast to expand for eight species and decline for four species. For species with predominantly boreo‐arctic distributions, suitable area typically declined at the temperate range edge and expanded across the High Arctic. Future suitable area available to dryland‐adapted species generally declined overall, likely relating to the desiccation‐tolerant physiology of lichens and mosses. The average migration rates required for species to disperse into new suitable habitat ranged from 1.7 ( Placidium squamulosum ) to 9.0 km year −1 ( Syntrichia ruralis ), although most species will need to migrate km year −1 to completely fill their potential future suitable habitat. For mosses and lichens, as with all species, migration will be an important part of the adjustment to a warmer climate, but realisation of these potential migrations will require both rare dispersal events and habitat that is suitable in non‐climatic dimensions. Current evidence on dispersal in these groups suggests that these geographical shifts may be unlikely to be realised without intervention, especially in landscapes that are highly modified by humans.
Publisher: Copernicus GmbH
Date: 05-06-2018
Publisher: Copernicus GmbH
Date: 03-07-2019
Abstract: Abstract. The Amazon rain forest experiences the combined pressures from human-made deforestation and progressing climate change, causing severe and potentially disruptive perturbations of the ecosystem's integrity and stability. To intensify research on critical aspects of Amazonian biosphere–atmosphere exchange, the Amazon Tall Tower Observatory (ATTO) has been established in the central Amazon Basin. Here we present a multi-year analysis of backward trajectories to derive an effective footprint region of the observatory, which spans large parts of the particularly vulnerable eastern basin. Further, we characterize geospatial properties of the footprint regions, such as climatic conditions, distribution of ecoregions, land cover categories, deforestation dynamics, agricultural expansion, fire regimes, infrastructural development, protected areas, and future deforestation scenarios. This study is meant to be a resource and reference work, helping to embed the ATTO observations into the larger context of human-caused transformations of Amazonia. We conclude that the chances to observe an unperturbed rain forest–atmosphere exchange at the ATTO site will likely decrease in the future, whereas the atmospheric signals from human-made and climate-change-related forest perturbations will increase in frequency and intensity.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2018
Publisher: Copernicus GmbH
Date: 13-12-2017
Abstract: Abstract. In the Amazonian atmosphere, the aerosol coarse mode comprises a complex, erse, and variable mixture of bioaerosols emitted from the rain forest ecosystem, long-range transported Saharan dust, marine aerosols from the Atlantic Ocean, and coarse smoke particles from deforestation fires. For the rain forest, the coarse mode particles are of significance with respect to biogeochemical and hydrological cycling as well as ecology and biogeography. However, detailed knowledge on the physicochemical and biological properties as well as the ecological role of the Amazonian coarse mode is still sparse. This study presents results from multi-year coarse mode measurements at the remote Amazon Tall Tower Observatory (ATTO) site. It combines online aerosol observations, selected remote sensing and modelling results, as well as dedicated coarse mode s ling and analysis. The focal points of this study are a systematic characterization of aerosol coarse mode abundance and properties in the Amazonian atmosphere as well as a detailed analysis of the frequent, pulse-wise intrusion of African long-range transport (LRT) aerosols (comprising Saharan dust and African biomass burning smoke) into the Amazon Basin. We find that, on a multi-year time scale, the Amazonian coarse mode maintains remarkably constant concentration levels (with 0.4 cm−3 and 4.0 µg m−3 in the wet vs. 1.2 cm−3 and 6.5 µg m−3 in the dry season) with rather weak seasonal trends (in terms of abundance and size spectrum), which is in stark contrast to the pronounced biomass burning-driven seasonality of the submicron aerosol population and related parameters. For most of the time, bioaerosol particles from the forest biome account for a major fraction of the coarse mode background population. However, from Dec to Apr there are episodic intrusions of African LRT aerosols, comprising Saharan dust, sea salt particles from the transatlantic passages, and African biomass burning smoke. Remarkably, during the core period of this LRT season (i.e., Feb–Mar), the presence of LRT influence, occurring as a sequence of pulse-like plumes, appears to be rather the norm than an exception. The LRT pulses increase the coarse mode concentrations drastically (up to 100 µg m−3) and alter coarse mode composition as well as its size spectrum. Efficient transport of the LRT plumes into the Amazon Basin takes place in response to specific mesoscale circulation patterns in combination with the episodic absence of rain-related aerosol scavenging en route. Based on a modelling study, we estimated a dust deposition flux of 5–10 kg ha−1 a−1 in the region of the ATTO site. Furthermore, a chemical analysis quantified the substantial increase of crustal and sea salt elements under LRT conditions in comparison to the background coarse mode composition. With these results, we estimated the deposition fluxes of various elements that are considered as nutrients for the rain forest ecosystem. These estimates range from few g ha−1 a−1 up to several hundreds of g ha−1 a−1 in the ATTO region. The long-term data presented here provide a statistically solid basis for future studies of the manifold aspects of the dynamic coarse mode aerosol cycling in the Amazon. Thus, it may help to understand its biogeochemical relevance in this ecosystem as well as to evaluate to what extent anthropogenic influences have altered the coarse mode cycling already.
Publisher: Copernicus GmbH
Date: 28-03-2022
DOI: 10.5194/EGUSPHERE-EGU22-8966
Abstract: & & The vegetation and soils of the Amazon contain large amounts of carbon that may be vulnerable to loss given ongoing climate and land use change in the Amazon basin. Previous studies predicted that the Amazon rainforest would start to act as a net carbon source to the atmosphere by 2030-2040, and that it has switched from being a sink to source over the last decade. Using data from eddy covariance and vertical carbon dioxide profile measurement systems installed at the 80 m walk-up tower in the Amazon Tall Tower Observatory (ATTO) site, located in well-preserved central Amazon upland rainforest, we assessed net ecosystem exchange (NEE), gross primary productivity (GPP), and ecosystem respiration (R& sub& eco& /sub& ) for the period 2014-2019. The NEE results indicate that the central Amazon upland rainforest was carbon neutral or a source during this 6-year period. Seasonal GPP variations were related to soil water availability and vapor pressure deficit. The strong 2015-2016 El Ni& #241 o event decreased both GPP and R& sub& eco& /sub& due to the unusually long dry period, but also contributed to carbon flux dynamics in post El Ni& #241 o periods. In the 2017-dry season, we measured higher dry-season GPP compared with the other years, which we hypothesize was triggered by photosynthesis activation in sub-canopy and understory trees. This is supported by the minimum green crown fraction at upper canopy trees, indicating more light availability in lower canopy trees, and the higher fraction of absorbed photosynthetically active radiation, both recorded during the dry-season of 2017. Our results show that the ground-based measurement setup at ATTO is well suited to investigate the local carbon fluxes on seasonal to interannual time scales.& &
Publisher: Copernicus GmbH
Date: 13-12-2017
Publisher: Stockholm University Press
Date: 25-03-2022
DOI: 10.16993/TELLUSB.34
Publisher: Copernicus GmbH
Date: 05-06-2018
DOI: 10.5194/ACP-2018-323
Abstract: Abstract. The Amazon rain forest experiences the combined pressures from man-made deforestation and progressing climate change, causing severe and potentially disruptive perturbations of the ecosystem's integrity and stability. To intensify research on critical aspects of Amazonian biosphere-atmosphere exchange, the Amazon Tall Tower Observatory (ATTO) has been established in the central Amazon Basin. Here we present a multi-year analysis of backward trajectories to derive an effective footprint region of the observatory, which spans large parts of the particularly vulnerable eastern basin. Further, we characterize geospatial properties of the footprint regions, such as climatic conditions, distribution of ecoregions, land cover categories, deforestation dynamics, agricultural expansion, fire regimes, infrastructural development, protected areas, as well as future deforestation scenarios. This study is meant to be a resource and reference work, helping to embed the ATTO observations into the larger context of man-made transformations of Amazonia. We conclude that the chances to observe an unperturbed rain forest-atmosphere exchange will likely decrease in the future, whereas the atmospheric signals from man-made and climate change-related forest perturbations will likewise increase in frequency and intensity.
Publisher: Copernicus GmbH
Date: 21-04-2015
DOI: 10.5194/ACPD-15-11599-2015
Abstract: Abstract. The Amazon Basin plays key roles in the carbon and water cycles, climate change, atmospheric chemistry, and bio ersity. It already has been changed significantly by human activities, and more pervasive change is expected to occur in the next decades. It is therefore essential to establish long-term measurement sites that provide a baseline record of present-day climatic, biogeochemical, and atmospheric conditions and that will be operated over coming decades to monitor change in the Amazon region as human perturbations increase in the future. The Amazon Tall Tower Observatory (ATTO) has been set up in a pristine rain forest region in the central Amazon Basin, about 150 km northeast of the city of Manaus. An ecological survey including a bio ersity assessment has been conducted in the forest region surrounding the site. Two 80 m towers have been operated at the site since 2012, and a 325 m tower is nearing completion in mid-2015. Measurements of micrometeorological and atmospheric chemical variables were initiated in 2012, and their range has continued to broaden over the last few years. The meteorological and micrometeorological measurements include temperature and wind profiles, precipitation, water and energy fluxes, turbulence components, soil temperature profiles and soil heat fluxes, radiation fluxes, and visibility. A tree has been instrumented to measure stem profiles of temperature, light intensity, and water content in cryptogamic covers. The trace gas measurements comprise continuous monitoring of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, methane, and ozone at 5 to 8 different heights, complemented by a variety of additional species measured during intensive c aigns (e.g., VOC, NO, NO2, and OH reactivity). Aerosol optical, microphysical, and chemical measurements are made above the canopy as well as in the canopy space. They include light scattering and absorption, aerosol fluorescence, number and volume size distributions, chemical composition, cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) concentrations, and hygroscopicity. Initial results from ecological, meteorological, and chemical studies at the ATTO site are presented in this paper.
Location: Germany
No related grants have been discovered for Bettina Weber.