Ideas and perspectives: Enhancing research and monitoring of carbon pools and land-to-atmosphere greenhouse gases exchange in developing countries

[摘要] Carbon (C) and greenhouse gas (GHG) research has traditionallyrequired data collection and analysis using advanced and often expensiveinstruments, complex and proprietary software, and highly specializedresearch technicians. Partly as a result, relatively little C and GHGresearch has been conducted in resource-constrained developing countries. Atthe same time, these are often the same countries and regions in whichclimate change impacts will likely be strongest and in which major scienceuncertainties are centered, given the importance of dryland and tropicalsystems to the global C cycle. Increasingly, scientific communities haveadopted appropriate technology and approach (AT&A) for C and GHGresearch, which focuses on low-cost and low-technology instruments, open-source software and data, and participatory and networking-based researchapproaches. Adopting AT&A can mean acquiring data with fewer technicalconstraints and lower economic burden and is thus a strategy for enhancing Cand GHG research in developing countries. However, AT&A can have higheruncertainties; these can often be mitigated by carefully designingexperiments, providing clear protocols for data collection, and monitoringand validating the quality of obtained data. For implementing this approachin developing countries, it is first necessary to recognize the scientificand moral importance of AT&A. At the same time, new AT&A techniquesshould be identified and further developed. All these processes should bepromoted in collaboration with local researchers and through training localstaff and encouraged for wide use and further innovation in developingcountries.

[学科分类] 大气科学