The tropics--home to millions of people, including this Congolese man--are also a hugely important region for the earth's atmosphere, especially through the exchanges of heat, moisture, and chemistry that take place across the tropics' vast oceans and lush vegetation. In 1996, scientists from the National Center for Atmospheric Research and colleagues took part in the Experiment for Regional Sources and Sinks of Oxidants, which documented biosphere-atmosphere interactions taking place in and near the African tropics. Researchers collected data at two main sites--along with meteorological data throughout the study area--to explore how the vegetation and fires interact with the atmosphere. Ground-based and tower-mounted instruments and a research aircraft supported studies of biomass burning, rainforest-savanna dynamics, and the influence of tropical vegetation on global air chemistry.
