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(Reference retrieved automatically from Web of Science through information on FAPESP grant and its corresponding number as mentioned in the publication by the authors.)

Air quality and human health improvements from reductions in deforestation-related fire in Brazil

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Author(s):
Reddington, C. L. [1] ; Butt, E. W. [1] ; Ridley, D. A. [2] ; Artaxo, P. [3] ; Morgan, W. T. [4] ; Coe, H. [4] ; Spracklen, D. V. [1]
Total Authors: 7
Affiliation:
[1] Univ Leeds, Sch Earth & Environm, Leeds LS2 9JT, W Yorkshire - England
[2] MIT, Dept Civil & Environm Engn, Cambridge, MA 02143 - USA
[3] Univ Sao Paulo, Inst Phys, Dept Appl Phys, BR-05315970 Sao Paulo - Brazil
[4] Univ Manchester, Sch Earth Atmospher & Environm Sci, Manchester M13 9PL, Lancs - England
Total Affiliations: 4
Document type: Journal article
Source: NATURE GEOSCIENCE; v. 8, n. 10, p. 768+, OCT 2015.
Web of Science Citations: 43
Abstract

Roughly 15% of the Brazilian Amazon was deforested between 1976 and 2010(1). Fire is the dominant method through which forests and vegetation are cleared. Fires emit large quantities of particulate matter into the atmosphere(2), which degrades air quality and affects human health(3,4). Since 2004, Brazil has achieved substantial reductions in deforestation rates(1,5,6) and associated deforestation fires(7). Here we assess the impact of this reduction on air quality and human health during non-drought years between 2001 and 2012. We analyse aerosol optical depth measurements obtained with satellite and ground-based sensors over southwest Brazil and Bolivia for the dry season, from August to October. We find that observed dry season aerosol optical depths are more than a factor of two lower in years with low deforestation rates in Brazil. We used a global aerosol model to show that reductions in fires associated with deforestation have caused mean surface particulate matter concentrations to decline by similar to 30% during the dry season in the region. Using particulate matter concentration response functions from the epidemiological literature, we estimate that this reduction in particulate matter may be preventing roughly 400 to 1,700 premature adult deaths annually across South America. (AU)

FAPESP's process: 13/05014-0 - GoAmazon: interactions of the urban plume of Manaus with biogenic forest emissions in Amazonia
Grantee:Paulo Eduardo Artaxo Netto
Support type: Research Program on Global Climate Change - Thematic Grants
FAPESP's process: 12/14437-9 - Study of physico-chemical properties of biomass burning aerosols and the radiative forcing at the SAMBBA experiment - the South American Biomass Burning Analysis
Grantee:Paulo Eduardo Artaxo Netto
Support type: Research Program on Global Climate Change - Regular Grants