PROGRAM-INTERNATIONAL-GLOBAL-ATMOSPHERIC-CHEMISTRY SAFARI-92 FIELD EXPERIMENT - BACKGROUND AND OVERVIEW

The International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme/International Global A tmospheric Chemistry (IGBP/IGAC) Southern Africa Fire-Atmosphere Resea rch Initiative (SAFARI-92) field experiment was conducted in the 1992 dry season in southern Africa. The objective of the experiment was a c omprehensive investigation of the role of vegetation fires, particular ly savanna fires, in atmospheric chemistry, climate, and ecology. Duri ng SAFARI-92 experimental fires were conducted in Kruger National Park , South Africa, and at some sites in Zambia, in order to study fire be havior and trace gas and aerosol emissions. Regional studies on atmosp heric chemistry and meteorology showed that vegetation fires account f or a substantial amount of photochemical oxidants and haze over the su bcontinent, and that the export of smoke-laden air masses contributed strongly to the ozone burden of the remote atmosphere in the southern tropical Atlantic region. The relationships between fire, soil moistur e status, and soil trace gas emissions were investigated for several c limatically and chemically important gases. Remote sensing studies sho wed that advanced very high resolution radiometer/local area coverage (AVHRR/LAC) imagery was valuable for fire monitoring in the region and in combination with biomass models could be used for the estimation o f pyrogenic emissions.