Atmosphere-Biosphere Signal Attribution in the Tropics (BSAT)
Junior Research Group
In the Atmosphere-Biosphere Signal Attribution (BSAT) research group our main objective is to understand tropical ecosystem dynamics, by investigating and monitoring changes in atmospheric trace gases like CO2, CH4 and CO. We aim to (1) quantify and attribute carbon sources and sinks at regional scales and (2) to study assess their development over time under global change. For this we combine top-down (atmospheric inversions) and bottom-up (land surface models) approaches with multiple data streams, like remotely-sensed atmospheric composition, in-situ mole fraction and isotopic composition measurements or eddy covariance flux measurements.
The overarching goals guiding our research are:
Disentangle the main drivers of net ecosystem exchange (NEE) and net biome exchange (NBE) in individual tropical ecosystems but also at the pan-tropical scale.
To better quantify spatial and temporal patterns in tropical biogenic methane emissions and to provide insights into the current global methane growth rate.
Use stable isotopes in CH4 to improve the characterization of source signatures in the tropics with the aim to advance our understanding in interannual emission patterns.
Understand and quantify current and future trends in terrestrial CO2 and CH4 sinks/sources in tropical ecosystems.
Selected Figures:
Prior / posterior uncertainty (b) for each of these areas in (a). The percentages represent the mean uncertainty reduction over the period between 2010 and 2018 estimated using the CarboScope regional inversion system. The values in brackets indicate the min-max range. Region 11 (biogeographic Amazon) is the sum of 1, 3, 7 and 10. Botía et al., (2024) submitted.
Prior / posterior uncertainty (b) for each of these areas in (a). The percentages represent the mean uncertainty reduction over the period between 2010 and 2018 estimated using the CarboScope regional inversion system. The values in brackets indicate the min-max range. Region 11 (biogeographic Amazon) is the sum of 1, 3, 7 and 10. Botía et al., (2024) submitted.
Munassar, S.; Rödenbeck, C.; Galkowski, M.; Koch, F.-T.; Totsche, K. U.; Botia, S.; Gerbig, C.: To what extent does the CO2 diurnal cycle impact flux estimates derived from global and regional inversions? Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 25 (1), pp. 639 - 656 (2025)
Ho, D.; Galkowski, M.; Reum, F.; Botia, S.; Marshall, J.; Totsche, K. U.; Gerbig, C.: Recommended coupling to global meteorological fields for long-term tracer simulations with WRF-GHG. Geoscientific Model Development 17 (20), pp. 7401 - 7422 (2024)
de Arellano, J. V.-G.; Hartogensis, O. K.; de Boer, H.; Moonen, R.; González-Armas, R.; Janssens, M.; Adnew, G. A.; Bonell-Fontás, D. J.; Botia, S.; Jones, S. P.et al.; van Asperen, H.; Komiya, S.; de Feiter, V. S.; Rikkers, D.; de Haas, S.; Machado, L. A. T.; Dias-Junior, C. Q.; Giovanelli-Haytzmann, G.; Valenti, W. I. D.; Figueiredo, R. C.; Farias, C. S.; Hall, D. H.; Mendonça, A. C. S.; da Silva, F. A. G.; da Silva, J. L. M.; Souza, R.; Martins, G.; Miller, J. N.; Mol, W. B.; Heusinkveld, B.; van Heerwaarden, C. C.; D’Oliveira, F. A. F.; Ferreira, R. R.; Gotuzzo, R. A.; Pugliese, G.; Williams, J.; Ringsdorf, A.; Edtbauer, A.; Quesada, C. A.; Portela, B. T. T.; Alves, E. G.; Pöhlker, C.; Trumbore, S. E.; Lelieveld, J.; Röckmann, T.: CloudRoots-Amazon22: Integrating clouds with photosynthesis by crossing scales. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society 105 (7), pp. E1275 - E1302 (2024)
Botia, S.; Dias-Junior, C. Q.; Komiya, S.; van der Woude, A.; Terristi, M.; de Kok, R.; Koren, G.; van Asperen, H.; Jones, S. P.; D'Oliveira, F. A. F.et al.; Weber, U.; Marques-Filho, E.; Toro, I. M. C.; Araújo, A.; Lavric, J.; Walter, D.; Li, X.; Wigneron, J.-P.; Stocker, B.; de Souza, J. G.; O'Sullivan, M.; Sitch, S.; Ciais, P.; Chevallier, F.; Li, W.; Luijkx, I. T.; Peters, W.; Quesada, C. A.; Zaehle, S.; Trumbore, S. E.; Bastos, A.: Reduced vegetation uptake during the extreme 2023 drought turns the Amazon into a weak carbon source. ESS Open Archive (2025)
Glauch, T.; Marshall, J.; Gerbig, C.; Botia, S.; Galkowski, M.; Vardag, S. N.; Butz, A.: pyVPRM: A next-generation Vegetation Photosynthesis and Respiration Model for the post-MODIS era. EGUsphere (2025)
