Deforestation can affect both regional and global climate. One consequence of biomass burning is the release of tiny smoke particles that diffuse into the atmosphere, traveling long distances before settling back to the surface. These particles, called aerosols, can change the amounts of solar radiation reaching the EarthΓÇÖs surface and also return radiation from the Earth back to the surface. This combination of effects can change global temperatures. The smoke particles also can serve to increase the number of droplets in clouds, thereby changing the way that clouds reflect or transmit radiation coming from the Sun and from the EarthΓÇÖs surface.
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It has been estimated that the net effect of smoke particles from fires is to cause some slight cooling at the EarthΓÇÖs surface. Additionally, gas emissions from biomass burnings add to the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, which can affect global climate.
According to satellite-based estimates, about 5.6 percent of the Brazilian Amazon Basin had been deforested by the end of 1988.
The Earth Science Enterprise's future plans include using data from such instruments as the Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+), currently in flight on Landsat 7 and the Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) as well as the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER - provided by Japan) and currently in flight on the Terra satellite.
The photograph at right shows a section of the Rio Sao Francisco in northeast Brazil and the small town of Bom Jesus da Lapa. Because of the size of the rectangular agricultural field patterns, this area is probably a plantation and the crop is likely sugarcane. Numerous smoke plumes are visible in the photograph, possibly indicating that more land is being prepared for agriculture. It should be noted that this particular area is included in the general northeast region of Brazil that is subject to extensive periods of drought.
