FIREPROD · Impact of tropical FIRE emissions on rainforest PRODuctivity

Tropical fires release large amounts of particles, including essential nutrients. The trade winds can transport these nutrients across vast distances, depositing them in tropical rainforests and potentially enhancing their primary productivity. However, the link between fire and rainforest productivity remains unclear. This project aims to examine the influence of fire emissions on the productivity of tropical rainforests using satellite remote sensing. To achieve this, I will map burned areas and fire emissions in the pan-tropical region using high-resolution satellite data and machine learning techniques. Subsequently, I will employ a transport model to determine the trajectories of fire particles in the atmosphere and estimate their deposition on the surface of tropical forests. Finally, I will analyse the impact of nutrient deposition on primary productivity and biomass of tropical rainforests using three satellite products: 1) leaf area index (obtained from optical data), 2) sun-induced fluorescence (emitted by plants during photosynthesis), and 3) vegetation optical depth (a radar-based indicator of vegetation biomass). To handle the substantial volume of satellite data (>100 terabytes), I will use a cloud-based platform with powerful computational capabilities. This processing will generate valuable geospatial datasets, including annual maps of burned areas, fire emissions, and nutrient deposition in the pan-tropical region, as well as trend maps depicting rainforest productivity. This interdisciplinary project combines expertise in remote sensing, fire ecology, atmospheric transport, nutrient cycling, and plant productivity, providing novel insights into the impact of fires on the carbon sequestration capacity of tropical rainforests.