THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, March 13, 1995 TAG: 9503130043
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JAMES SCHULTZ, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 95 lines
Prized and feared, fire has helped and hurt humankind throughout recorded history. Burning - of wood, of peat, of coal, of grasses - cooks food, heats homes, even fertilizes soil. Burning - accidental or uncontrolled - destroys, costing lives and reducing property to cinders.
Study burning on a global scale, though, and there emerges a picture of widespread air pollution and dramatic climate change. This biomass burning, of rain forests, grasslands, woodlands and vegetation, appears to be affecting planetary atmosphere to an extent not thought possible only a decade ago.
``Earth is a planet on fire,'' said Joel S. Levine, a senior research scientist at NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton. ``The Earth is burning.''
Today, more than 200 scientists from two dozen countries convene in Williamsburg to pore over the latest findings in biomass burning. A weeklong conference, organized by Levine and colleagues at NASA Langley, is attracting the world's leading researchers in the field.
Among the most troubling studies is one that conclusively proves that fire on the ground can lead to further ozone depletion in the upper reaches of Earth's atmosphere. The culprit is an agricultural fungicide that, when burned, produces an ozone-wounding substance.
A class of man-made chemicals - chlorofluorocarbons, or CFCs - is thought to be the primary destroyer of protective ozone, which shields humans, animals and crops from otherwise-harmful solar radiation.
``Biomass burning seems to be a peculiar focus for a conference, at least to the person on the street,'' said Ronald G. Prinn, director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Center for Global Change Science and a conference attendee. ``It was only realized in the last 10 years just how important this biomass burning might be.''
Important because large parts of the Earth's surface are literally going up in smoke. Herders on the African savannas, for example, routinely ignite huge tracts of grasslands to keep grass shoots from growing too tall and becoming too poor in nutrients for their hungry cattle.
Farmers in developing countries burn agricultural stubble because it is quick and easy - and it fertilizes soil. In Brazilian rain forests, peasant farmers are allowed free deed to 10 acres of land - but only if the land is cleared and crops grown. Thus, burning is the fastest route to some prosperity, however minimal.
Smoke from all that burning circles the globe, carrying with it the chemicals used by farmers to treat crops and the natural substances transformed by combustion into newer, potentially deadly forms. Also released into the air are quantities of possible planet-warming ``greenhouse'' gases, such as carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, methane, hydrocarbons and nitric oxides.
``Our estimates are that, on average, 30 to 40 percent of the carbon dioxide entering the atmosphere every year is due to biomass burning,'' said Levine of NASA. ``In addition, biomass burning produces soot particles. These soot particles scatter and reflect sunlight, causing a decrease in the amount of solar radiation reaching the Earth's surface.''
Some scientists long have feared that human-induced burning of fossil fuels and of vegetation, taken together, could cause an abrupt shift in planetary climate. Depending on location, rain patterns could intensify or diminish. Fertile areas may turn to dust, lowlands to mud flats.
Global temperatures could also soar, threatening the survival of already hard-pressed plant and animal species that may not be able to adapt to rapidly changing environmental conditions.
Within the past 10 years, advances in satellite and computer technology have put powerful analytical tools in the hands of researchers. Field studies and airborne observations of fires also have provided scientists more comprehensive understanding.
While the Williamsburg conference is unlikely to produce any dramatic scientific breakthrough, conferees will discuss ways to reduce biomass burning worldwide, particularly in developing countries.
``Ninety percent of this global burning can be reduced or eliminated over the next two decades,'' said NASA's Levine. ``One of the goals of the conference is to figure out ways to reduce burning. That's what we have to discuss.''
It isn't clear what action can or will be taken. Livelihoods and pocketbooks are at stake, so policymakers are likely to move cautiously, if at all.
``You can't prevent biomass burning,'' said Prinn of MIT. ``People need energy and people need food. You've got to give them alternatives.'' ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photo]
Each dot represents a separate fire in southern Africa on a day in
1987.
LECTURE TONIGHT
The conference will open its doors to the public tonight for a free
lecture on biomass burning. It will begin at 7:30 in the main
auditorium of the Williamsburg Lodge, 310 S. England St.
by CNB