by NASA

“ The almost magic process of photosynthesis combines sunlight, water and carbon dioxide to make sugar. Photosynthesis is the engine that drives life at the Earth’s surface.
We will make carbon dioxide measurements over the course of the next couple of hours. The detector has a small, metal chamber in the form of a clamp that fits around a leaf. We keep each leaf sample clamped for about 15 minutes while the device analyzes the leaf for carbon dioxide absorbed and water that evaporates as we wait. We don’t leave the carbon dioxide detector unattended for days at a time as we do with the logger. ”

“ One of the nicest times of our day in the rainforest is when we are walking to work. We can enjoy the rainforest, not having to concentrate on gathering data. However, it is already 80 degrees, and the humidity is rising rapidly because the intense energy of the Sun is rapidly evaporating the water from the frequent rains.
The walk is easy. The land is flat, and the dirt is iron-rust red. This soil is generally hard-packed except where we encounter small streams that cross the path. ”

“ Near the equator in the Amazon rainforest of Brazil the Sun always rises during the same quarter hour year round and sets twelve hours later. The days are not that long when you have to gather scientific information, especially when you consider that it can rain for hours at a time. Among the many goals of our research team, we are working together to find out how much carbon is being captured or lost by the wide variety of lush vegetation here. ”

“ A half-mile hike on a narrow, muddy trail through the trees takes us to the tower research site. On the way we hear what seems like thousands of birds making the loudest, wildest cries you can imagine. ”

“ When I say we, I refer to several colleagues with whom I work in study of the rainforest.
It takes a lot of teamwork to accomplish our mission. Scientists, technicians and others from both Brazil and the United States must work closely together. We share all our ideas, tools and data collected from experiments. Just as importantly, we watch out for each other's safety in this rather dangerous place to work. ”

“ Now that we are at the top of the canopy, we can measure the fastest growing leaves and tree parts at the level where the canopy ‘harvests,’ or absorbs, more than half of the sunlight’s energy that strikes the forest. First, I remove my computer from my pack and hook the laptop machine to a ‘data logger.’ It looks like household electrical circuit-breaker box, but the logger has a computer chip that continuously records light levels, humidity levels and air and leaf temperature changes. ”

“ After a few moments, our eyes adjust to the brilliant light. The view is spectacular. We see what appears to be an ocean of green. It looks like as dense as a super-big head of broccoli with a few giant trees sticking up. We can see large birds flying around. ”

“ Our field study leader and Brazilian scientist, Joaõ, leads the way.
“I’ll take the carbon dioxide sensor,” Joaõ mentions. Then he picks up the sensor, a box-like device that is less than a foot long on its biggest dimension and weighs a few pounds. The climb to the tower top should take us only five minutes, but we stop about halfway up to listen to the sounds of birds and monkeys. Monkeys screech and howl. Like the birds, the monkeys keep their distance, and we rarely see one. ”

“ After a half hour of talk about the day’s accomplishments, we notice that our surroundings are pitch black. We were hungry before, and now we are even hungrier. We walk to the mess hall-like cabin. After we select the food we want and place it on big metal platters, we sit family-style at long wooden tables. ”

“ On some days, the smoke can be thick enough to obscure the Sun, making the light as dim as it appears during a total eclipse. A smoky condition can last for days, and it affects your breathing, making it hard to suck enough oxygen into your lungs. ”

“ They are red because they are made of the iron-rich soil. Some are waist high. A colleague has reminded us that the termites are important because they enrich the soil with nutrients. The rainfall washes away many of the important life-supporting chemicals in the soil. If it were not for the industrious termites, the soil nutrients would not be recycled efficiently from decaying plant matter within ecosystem. ”

“ We don’t know how much this smoke may affect plant growth, but some researchers say
that the trees that are cut and burned may very well contribute to global climate change because the smoke contains a potent mixture of ‘greenhouse’ gases that can trap heat near Earth’s surface. The scientific community is still waiting for strong proof regarding the effects of burning on possible climate change. ”

“ We see centipedes the size of your index finger and ants as big as your thumbnail. These insects don’t bother us because they busy in their own world, and are moving as fast as a crowd of shoppers in a big city. ”

“ The research team consisting of local and international scientists – men and women – assembles for lunch. We get our food, and we sit at a long picnic table. We feast while listening to local stories and speculation about the Brazilian soccer team strategies in international competition. ”

“ There is torrential rain nearly every day. A dark cloud can pop up at any time. The vehicle is on the verge of getting stuck in the mud on practically every trip. We never actually were stuck in the mire, but some of the puddles are deep enough to ruin an engine. ”

“ Catwalks connect the platforms and help us to reach many kinds of trees for study. There are hundreds of tree species there. Most are evergreens, but not ‘needle-leaf’ trees like pines you might envision. ”

“ Also, keeping the sensitive equipment running properly in this climate is a major effort. The overall excitement of our work also must include such essential, but routine tasks as maintenance and other such tasks. ”

“ The trail back to the plot is very wet, inundated in certain places. Our first stop in the afternoon is a very deep soil pit that has been covered with a tarp to protect animals and people from falling in. ”