Scientists have gathered and analyzed data from previously unsampled remote regions to gain a better understanding of Africa's influence on the composition of the earth's atmosphere. Because the study area includes terrain representative of sub-Saharan Africa, we can map emissions over the entire continent for the first time. Huge stretches of African savanna and rain forest are burned each fall and winter for agricultural and territorial purposes.
Satellite pictures show that the plumes of ozone stretch, at times, as far as South America.
Ozone is a particular threat to people who work or exercise outdoors or who suffer from respiratory problems. Isoprene fluxes from the African forest are lower than those reported for a tropical rain forest in the Amazon basin. A French ARAT research aircraft measured winds, temperatures, water vapor, and radiation from the visible and invisible spectrum, in addition to NOx, ozone, and several other chemical compounds. Volatile organic compounds were measured by aircraft and ground instruments. The team also used satellite data to map fire distribution.