| Abstract |
The Boreal Ecosystems Atmosphere Study (BOREAS) is a large scale, international investigation focused on improving our understanding of the exchanges of radiative energy, sensible heat, water, CO2 and trace gases between the boreal forest and the lower atmosphere. A primary objective of BOREAS is to collect the data needed to improve computer simulation models of the important processes controlling these exchanges so that scientists can anticipate the effects ofglobal change, principally altered temperature and precipitation patterns, on the biome.
Its goal is to improve our understanding of the boreal forests -- how they interact with the atmosphere, how much CO2 they can store, and how climate change will affect them. BOREAS wants to learn to use satellite data to monitor the forests, and to improve computer simulation and weather models so scientists can anticipate the effects of global change.
In 1992, 85 science teams were selected out of over 240 proposals to take part in BOREAS. These were organized into six disciplinary groups for easier organization doing the field phase.
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