Amazonia and global change

"Amazonia and Global Change synthesizes results of the Large-Scale Biosphere-Atmosphere Experiment in Amazonia (LBA) for scientists and students of Earth system science and global environmental change. LBA, led by Brazil, asks how Amazonia currently functions in the global climate and biogeochemical systems and how the functioning of Amazonia will respond to the combined pressures of climate and land use change, such as: wet season and dry season aerosol concentrations, and their effects on diffuse radiation and photosynthesis; increasing greenhouse gas concentration, deforestation, widespread biomass burning and changes in the Amazonian water cycle; drought effects and simulated drought through rainfall exclusion experiments; the net flux of carbon between Amazonia and the atmosphere; floodplains as an important regulator of the basin carbon balance including serving as a major source of methane to the troposphere; and the impact of the likely increased profitability of cattle ranching. This book will serve a broad community of scientists and policy makers interested in global change and environmental issues with high-quality scientific syntheses accessible to nonspecialists in a wide community of social scientists, ecologists, atmospheric chemists, climatologists, and hydrologists."--Publisher's description.