Observations of air composition in Brazil between the Equator and 20 degree S during the dry season

Field measurement programs in Brazil during the dry season months of August and September in 1979 and 1980 have demonstrated the great importance of the continental tropics in global air chemistry. Especially in the mixed layer, the air composition over land is much different from that over the ocean and the land areas are clearly large scale sources of many important trace gases. During the dry season much biomass burning takes place especially in the cerrado regions leading to substantial emission of air pollutants, such as CO, NOx, N2O, CH4 and other hydrocarbons. Ozone concentrat ions are also enhanced due to photochemical reactions. Biogenic organic emissions from tropical forests play likewise an important role in the photochemistry of the atmosphere. Carbon monoxide was found to be present in high concentrations in the boundary layer of the tropical forest, but ozone concentrations were much lower than in the cerrado. (IFU)