Biogenic emissions, chemistry and impacts in the Metropolitan Area of São Paulo: BIOMASP+

• Grant number: 20/07141-2
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants
• Start date: May 01, 2021
• End date: April 30, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Geosciences - Meteorology
• Agreement: ANR
• Principal Investigator: Adalgiza Fornaro
• Grantee: Adalgiza Fornaro
• Principal researcher abroad: Agnès Borbon
• Institution abroad: Laboratoire de Météorologie Physique (LaMP), France
• Host Institution: Instituto de Astronomia, Geofísica e Ciências Atmosféricas (IAG). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Pesquisadores principais: Amauri Pereira de Oliveira ; Rita Yuri Ynoue ; Silvia Ribeiro de Souza
• Associated researchers: Cláudia Maria Furlan ; Gregori de Arruda Moreira ; Inês Cordeiro ; JAFFREZO Jean-Luc ; Joel Ferreira de Brito ; Luciana Varanda Rizzo ; Luzimar Campos da Silva ; Maria Lúcia Arruda de Moura Campos ; Mauro Aquiles La Scalea ; Michael Staudt ; Regina Maria de Moraes ; Samara Carbone
• Associated research grant(s): 23/01542-3 - Development of the STFM (Spill, Transport and Fate Model), part 2: upgrades of the transport algorithms and the physical-chemical mechanism to include the pellets and microplastics formations, AP.R; 22/14426-9 - BVOC measurements (emissions, fluxes and reactivity) during the BIOMASP+ Special Observation Period, AV.EXT
• Associated scholarship(s): 25/12234-3 - Evaluation of the impact of biogenic emissions on air quality numerical simulations in the Metropolitan Area of São Paulo, BP.TT; 24/20809-3 - Redox markers of native species in urban fragments of the Atlantic Forest, BP.IC; 25/00504-6 - Support and analysis of meteorological and pollutants data from instruments on the BIOMASP+ project towers, BP.TT; + associated scholarships 24/21872-0 - Investigation of the Planetary Boundary Layer and Low-Level Jets and their impact on the transport of gases and particulate matter in the Metropolitan Area of São Paulo, BP.PD; 24/23333-0 - Atmospheric concentration and flux of isoprene in the Atlantic Forest under the influence of urbanization and protected areas, BP.TT; 24/17475-6 - Investigation of VOC turbulent fluxes in the BIOMASP+ Project, BP.TT; 23/11211-4 - Investigation of VOC turbulent fluxes in the BIOMASP+ project, BP.TT; 22/13213-1 - Ecometabolomics for a better understanding of plant response to air pollution, BP.PD; 22/07326-8 - Profile of biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOC) emission and main metabolomic responses to air pollutants in two Atlantic Forest remnants in SP, Brazil, BP.PD; 22/11143-6 - Understanding the interactions among biogenic VOCs (BVOCs) emissions and their contribution to aerosol formation in a polluted tropical atmosphere, BP.PD; 22/06511-6 - Development of the system of turbulence measures to estimate turbulent flows of VOC in the metropolitan region of São Paulo, BP.TT - associated scholarships

Abstract

In the last 50 years, the number of megacities has increased more than ten times, housing more than half of the world population, whose challenges have air pollution at the top of the list, representing more than 5 million deaths per year worldwide, mainly, due to PM2.5. While the anthropogenic nature of air pollution has been considered for a long time, there are evidence that the mixing among emissions by humans and those from the biosphere would modify, and even, exacerbate the effect of anthropogenic pollution on the environment and health. The effect of biosphere-atmosphere would gain importance in the context of emission reduction from traditional mobile sources and global warming that should enhance biogenic emissions at global scale. MASP in South-Eastern Brazil is emblematic of those interactions and threats: it is among the ten megacities worldwide and despite the advance of pollutant emission control, it is experiencing air quality problems due to both O3 and particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5). Despite the emission control of Anthropogenic Volatile Organic Compounds (AVOC), the maximum O3 concentrations have remained constant over the last 15 years, raising the question of the Biogenic VOCs (BVOCs) role as one of its major precursors. Green urban forest inside the city and also the Atlantic Forest surrounding it, totalize ~30% of the total MASP territory and it has subtropical climate, favoring biogenic emissions and photochemical processes. Taking MASP as a natural laboratory target, the Franco-Brazilian project BIOMASP+ is a unique opportunity to reduce gaps in our understanding of the atmospheric processes, resulting from the complex anthropogenic and biogenic urban mixing. This is needed to properly quantify the impact of pollutants on air quality, health and climate change. The main objective of BIOMASP+ is to evaluate the impact of biosphere-atmosphere interactions on gaseous and particulate urban pollution in a changing climate by addressing the following questions: how does the biosphere-atmosphere interaction affect the ozone production? how does this alter the Secondary Organic Aerosol (SOA) formation and aging? How does this affect health and in return, the biosphere? The above-mentioned questions require a full knowledge of the nature and intensity of chemical and biological compounds emitted by the Atlantic Forest. While there have been lots of efforts towards BVOC from the Amazonian rainforest, the emissions of Atlantic forest trees, which are the native trees present in São Paulo state and in MASP have been completely neglected. The quantification of the Atlantic Forest tree emissions will be one of the original prerequisites of the BIOMASP+ project, divided into one coordination (task 0) workgroup and more four main work-groups: 1- meteorology and VOC fluxes; 2- characterization and quantification of biogenic emission sources; 3- bio-physico-chemical processes and ambient composition and 4 - extended observations, forecast and impacts. To achieve its main objectives, BIOMASP+ has been designed as (I) an integrative project combining new in-situ observations (two experimental sites, RMG and Matão-IAG-USP) on both gaseous and aerosol phases, laboratory experiments and modeling; (II) a multidisciplinary project which is the study of the biosphere-atmosphere interactions, implying shared expertise in biogenic emissions, atmospheric chemistry, biology and meteorology from Brazil and France. Moreover, the study of the biosphere-atmosphere interactions involves multiple nested spatial and temporal scales: from the leaf level to the above-canopy level (fluxes), short time to multi-year scale. BIOMASP+ addresses fundamental science and provides a scientific basis for air quality, health and urban climate mitigation purposes. In-depth knowledge of these processes is necessary to implement the most effective strategies which will lead to sustainable benefits for society. (AU)

Scientific publications

(7)

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

FREITAS, ARTHUR DIAS; FORNARO, ADALGIZA. Atmospheric Formaldehyde Monitored by TROPOMI Satellite Instrument throughout 2020 over Sao Paulo State, Brazil. REMOTE SENSING, v. 14, n. 13, p. 17-pg., 2022-07-01. (20/07141-2)

SANCHEZ, MACIEL PINERO; DE OLIVEIRA, AMAURI PEREIRA; VARONA, RAMON PEREZ; TITO, JANET VALDES; CODATO, GEORGIA; YNOUE, RITA YURI; DUTRA RIBEIRO, FLAVIA NORONHA; MARQUES FILHO, EDSON PEREIRA; DA SILVEIRA, LUCAS CARDOSO. Observational Investiontion of the Low-Level Jets in the Metropolitan Region of Sao Paulo, Brazil. EARTH AND SPACE SCIENCE, v. 9, n. 9, p. 24-pg., 2022-09-01. (20/07141-2, 11/50178-5)

MOREIRA, GREGORI DE ARRUDA; DE OLIVEIRA, AMAURI PEREIRA; CODATO, GEORGIA; SANCHEZ, MACIEL PINERO; TITO, JANET VALDES; HUSSNI E SILVA, LEONARDO ALBERTO; DA SILVEIRA, LUCAS CARDOSO; DA SILVA, JONATAN JOAO; DA SILVA LOPES, FABIO JULIANO; LANDULFO, EDUARDO. Assessing Spatial Variation of PBL Height and Aerosol Layer Aloft in Sao Paulo Megacity Using Simultaneously Two Lidar during Winter 2019. ATMOSPHERE, v. 13, n. 4, p. 16-pg., 2022-04-01. (20/07141-2, 11/50178-5)

FLORENCIO, JACQUES; SCARAMBONI, CAROLINE; GIUBBINA, FERNANDA FURLAN; DE MARTINIS, BRUNO SPINOSA; FORNARO, ADALGIZA; FELIX, ERIKA PEREIRA; DE OLIVEIRA, TEREZA CRISTINA SOUZA; CAMPOS, MARIA LUCIA ARRUDA MOURA. Ethanol, acetaldehyde, and methanol in the gas phase and rainwater in different biomes and urban regions of Brazil. Science of The Total Environment, v. 929, p. 11-pg., 2024-04-25. (20/07141-2, 18/16554-9, 18/17931-0)

FERREIRA, MAURICIO JONAS; DE OLIVEIRA, AMAURI PEREIRA; DA SILVEIRA, LUCAS CARDOSO; CODATO, GEORGIA; FORNARO, ADALGIZA; BORBON, AGNES. Surface energy balance in a suburban area of the megacity of Sao Paulo - Seasonal variation and closure. URBAN CLIMATE, v. 56, p. 15-pg., 2024-06-27. (20/07141-2, 11/50178-5)

TITO, JANET VALDES; DE OLIVEIRA, AMAURI PEREIRA; SANCHEZ, MACIEL PINERO; FORNARO, ADALGIZA. Evaluation of Nine Planetary Boundary Layer Turbulence Parameterization Schemes of the Weather Research and Forecasting Model Applied to Simulate Planetary Boundary Layer Surface Properties in the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo Megacity, Brazil. ATMOSPHERE, v. 15, n. 7, p. 31-pg., 2024-07-01. (20/07141-2, 11/50178-5)

COELHO, MONIQUE SILVA; ZACHARIAS, DANIEL CONSTANTINO; DE PAULO, TAYNA SILVA; YNOUE, RITA YURI; FORNARO, ADALGIZA. Air Quality Impact Estimation Due to Uncontrolled Emissions from Capuava Petrochemical Complex in the Metropolitan Area of Sao Paulo (MASP), Brazil. ATMOSPHERE, v. 14, n. 3, p. 18-pg., 2023-03-01. (20/07141-2)