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Atmospheric Boundary Layer Experiment (ABLE-2) Data from the Global Tropospheric Experiment (GTE)
Entry ID: ABLE-2

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Summary

Abstract: The ABLE missions have been designed specifically to study the rate of
exchange of material between the Earth's surface and its atmospheric
boundary layer, and the processes by which gases and aerosols are
moved between the boundary layer and the 'free' troposphere. These
expeditions are conducted in ecosystems of the world that are known to
exert a major influence on global atmospheric chemistry. In some
cases, these ecosystems are undergoing profound changes as a
consequence of natural processes and/or human impact.

The ABLE-2 project consisted of two expeditions: the first in the
Amazonian dry season (ABLE-2A, July-August 1985); and the second in
the wet season (ABLE-2B, April-May 1987). The ABLE-2 core research
data were gathered by NASA Electra aircraft flights that stretched
from Belem, at the mouth of the Amazon River, west to Tabatinga, on
the Brazil-Colombia border, from a base at Manaus in the heart of the
forest. These observations were supplemented by ground based chemical
and meteorological measurements in the dry forest, the Amazon
floodplain, and the tributary rivers through use of enclosures, an
instrumented tower in the jungle, a large tethered balloon, and
weather and ozonesondes.

This study showed air above the Amazon jungle to be extremely clean
during the wet season but deteroirated dramatically during the dry
season as the result of biomass burning, performed mostly at the edges
of the forest. Biomass burning is also a source of greenhouse gases
carbon dioxide and methane, as well as other pollutants (carbon
monoxide and oxides of nitrogen). Amazonian ozone deposition rates
were found to be 5 to 50 times higher than those previously measured
over pine forests and water surfaces. The Amazon River floodplain is
a globally significant source of methane, supplying about 12% of the
estimated worldwide total from all wetlands sources. Over Amazonia,
carbon monoxide is enhanced by factors ranging from 1.2 to 2.7 by
comparison with adjacent regions due to isoprene oxidation and biomass
burning. Over the rainforest individual convective storms transport
200 megatons of air per hour, of which 3 megatons is water vapor that
releases 100,000 megawatts of energy into the atmosphere through
condensation into rain.

The ABLE was a collaboration of U.S. and Brazilian scientists
sponsored by NASA and Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais (INPE)
and supported by the Global Tropospheric Experiment (GTE) component of
the NASA Tropospheric Chemistry Program.

ABLE-2 data is also available on CD-ROM:
"http://www-gte.larc.nasa.gov/ABLE_CD.html"

Related URL

Link: GET DATA
Description: Access to ABLE-2A data and documentation

Link: GET DATA
Description: Access to ABLE-2B data and documentation

Link: GET DATA
Description: Access to ABLE-2 data

Link: GET DATA
Description: Access GTE Data Sets.

Link: VIEW PROJECT HOME PAGE
Description: Global Tropospheric Experiment (GTE) Project Home Page.

Geographic Coverage

N: 0.0 S: -10.0 E: -50.0 W: -70.0

Temporal Coverage

Start Date: 1985-07-11

Stop Date: 1985-08-31

Start Date: 1987-04-01

Stop Date: 1987-05-13

Location Keywords

CONTINENT > SOUTH AMERICA > BRAZIL > Amazon
GEOGRAPHIC REGION > EQUATORIAL
CONTINENT > SOUTH AMERICA
VERTICAL LOCATION > BOUNDARY LAYER
VERTICAL LOCATION > TROPOSPHERE
CONTINENT > SOUTH AMERICA > AMAZONIA

ISO Topic Category

CLIMATOLOGY/METEOROLOGY/ATMOSPHERE
ENVIRONMENT
IMAGERY/BASE MAPS/EARTH COVER

Platform

BALLOONS    [Information]

GROUND STATIONS    [Information]

NASA ELECTRA    [Information]

Instrument

DIAL >Differential Absorption Lidar    [Information]

LIDAR >Light Detection and Ranging    [Information]

OZONESONDES    [Information]

RADIOSONDES    [Information]

RAWINSONDES    [Information]

Project

EOSDIS >Earth Observing System Data Information System    [Information]

GTE >Global Tropospheric Experiment    [Information]

ESIP >Earth Science Information Partners Program    [Information]

ABLE-2 >Atmospheric Boundary Layer Experiment-2    [Information]

Keywords

ABLE

CH4

CO2

DIAL

DIMETHYLSULFIDE

DMS

HALOCARBONS

HYDROCARBONS

IDN_NODE GSFC/LARC

N2O

NITRIC OXIDE

NMHC

NO

NOX

O3

SURFACE

UPPER AIR

WATER VAPOR FLUX

Amazon Dry Season

EOSDIS

Originating Center

Data Center

Atmospheric Science Data Center, Science Directorate, Langley Research Center, NASA [Information]
Data Center URL: http://eosweb.larc.nasa.gov/
Dataset ID: ABLE2A
Dataset ID: ABLE2B

Data Center Personnel

Name: ASDC USER SERVICES
Phone: 757-864-8656
Fax: 757-864-8807
Email: larc-asdc-uds at lists.nasa.gov
Contact Address:
NASA Langley Atmospheric Science Data Center
User and Data Services
NASA Langley Research Center
2 South Wright Street
Mail Stop 157D
Building 1268C
City: Hampton
Province or State: VA
Postal Code: 23681-2199
Country: USA

Langley Research Center Distributed Active Archive Center, Science Directorate, Langley Research Center, NASA [Information]
Data Center URL: http://eosweb.larc.nasa.gov/
Dataset ID: ABLE2A
Dataset ID: ABLE2B

Data Center Personnel

Name: ASDC USER SERVICES
Phone: 757-864-8656
Fax: 757-864-8807
Email: larc-asdc-uds at lists.nasa.gov
Contact Address:
NASA Langley Atmospheric Science Data Center
User and Data Services
NASA Langley Research Center
2 South Wright Street
Mail Stop 157D
Building 1268C
City: Hampton
Province or State: VA
Postal Code: 23681-2199
Country: USA

Personnel

ROBERT C. HARRISS
Role: INVESTIGATOR
Email: harriss at ucar.edu
Contact Address:
NCAR
P.O. Box 3000
City: Boulder
Province or State: CO
Postal Code: 80307-3000
Country: USA

SCOTT A. RITZ
Role: DIF AUTHOR
Phone: 301-614-5126
Fax: 301-614-5268
Email: Scott.A.Ritz at nasa.gov
Contact Address:
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Global Change Master Directory
City: Greenbelt
Province or State: Maryland
Postal Code: 20771
Country: USA

STEVEN F. WOFSY
Role: TECHNICAL CONTACT
Phone: (617) 495-4566
Fax: (617) 495-9837
Email: scw at io.harvard.edu
Contact Address:
Harvard University
Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences
City: Cambridge
Province or State: MA
Postal Code: 02138
Country: USA

Publications/References

Drewry, J. W., and D. W. Owen, 1989: Global Tropospheric Experiment Data
Archive Catalog, NASA Langley Research Center.

Global Tropospheric Experiment Brochure

Harriss, R.C., S.C. Wofsy, M. Garstang, E.V. Browell, L.C.B. Molion, R.J.
McNeal, J.M. Hoell, Jr., R.J. Bendura, S.M. beck, R.L. Navarro, J.T. Riley, and
R.L. Snell. 1988. 'The Amazon Boundary Layer Experiment (ABLE 2A) Dry Season
1985', J. Geophys. Res., Vol. 93 (D2), pp. 1351-1360.

For a complete list of ABLE-2 publications, see:
http://www-gte.larc.nasa.gov/able/able_pubs.htm#ABLE-2A
and
http://www-gte.larc.nasa.gov/able/able_pubs.htm#ABLE-2B

Creation and Review Dates

Last DIF Revision Date: 2008-08-14

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