Investigating the impact of climate change in the Amazon with a drone

A research team at Harvard University is using a drone to survey the Amazon rainforest. The research team believes they want to identify fingerprints that are unique to each of the different rainforest ecosystems. That way, you can monitor the condition of the forest and understand how the forest reacts to climate change and fires, including deforestation and firefighting.

All plants emit VoC, a volatile organic chemical that changes during droughts and floods. Scientists identify this as a signal, monitor it, and study how the forest ecosystem adapts to stress when it is exposed to different regions.

Amazon VOC has not previously been observed at only a few observation points included in the same forest ecosystem, and the corresponding VOC emission data is used assuming that the surrounding forest ecosystem is also the same. However, since 2017, several research institutes, including Harvard University, have begun developing a system using drones that can map VOC emissions in Amazon’s various ecosystems.

In the paper released this time, it is revealed that different forest ecosystems have different VOC fingerprints. In the future, the research team is preparing to investigate using three drones to investigate the riverside rainforest ecosystem. Related information can be found here .