Trace gases-aerosols-cloud interactions in Amazonia: from bioaerosols emissions to large-scale impacts (GAIA)

• Grant number: 23/04358-9
• Support Opportunities: Research Program on Global Climate Change - Thematic Grants
• Start date: February 01, 2024
• End date: January 31, 2029
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Geosciences - Geophysics
• Principal Investigator: Paulo Eduardo Artaxo Netto
• Grantee: Paulo Eduardo Artaxo Netto
• Host Institution: Instituto de Física (IF). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Pesquisadores principais: Tercio Ambrizzi
• Associated researchers: Ana Carolina Souza Ramos de Carvalho ; Cleo Quaresma Dias Júnior ; Dirceu Luis Herdies ; Edmilson Dias de Freitas ; Joel Ferreira de Brito ; Luciana Varanda Rizzo ; Luiz Augusto Toledo Machado ; Marco Aurélio de Menezes Franco ; Micael Amore Cecchini ; Rachel Ifanger Albrecht ; Rafael da Silva Palácios ; Rodrigo Augusto Ferreira de Souza ; Samara Carbone ; Sergio Duvoisin Junior
• Associated scholarship(s): 25/11452-7 - Electrical structure and microphysics of thunderstorms during the GoAmazon2014/5 experiment, BP.IC; 25/15985-0 - Technical support to perform aerosol measurements in field experiments in Amazonia, BP.TT; 25/07647-7 - Emissions of Biogenic Volatile Organic Compounds (BVOCs) in the Amazon, their impacts on the ecosystem, and the formation of secondary organic aerosols., BP.PD; + associated scholarships 24/22898-3 - The Impact of Aerosol Size and Bioaerosols on Cloud Formation and Life Cycle in Amazonia, BP.DR; 25/00706-8 - The microphysical effects of aerosol-radiation and aerosol-cloud interactions and their impacts on the radiative balance in the Amazon, BP.DD; 24/02411-2 - Aerosol mass spectrometry applied to the study of sulphate and nitrates in the Amazonian atmosphere, BP.IC - associated scholarships

Abstract

The Amazon is a living laboratory for studying critical processes that regulate the chemistry and physics of the tropical atmosphere and influence regional and global climate. Long-term observations and process studies are essential to uncover possible degradation mechanisms in the Amazon Forest. We plan to advance science on critically important processes that influence the hydrologic cycle, radiation balance, reactive and greenhouse gas exchange, bioaerosols, and the functioning of the Amazonian ecosystem. This will be done through a combination of 7 components in this proposal: 1) Improvements in the long-term continuous measurements of the ATTO tower, with the addition of new studies of aerosols and trace gases, with the use of the newly installed automatic elevator (system RoLi) that will allow continuous day and night vertical profiles from the ground up to 325 meters. We will also measure nanoparticles in the range of 2 to 10 nanometers and study how they grow to form secondary organic aerosols (SOA) and later cloud condensation nuclei (CCN); 2) Improvements in studies of cloud-aerosol interactions with new measurements on the ATTO Campina site, with vertical soil profiles up to 16 km altitude, with profiling instruments such as Lidar de aerosols, cloud radar, precipitation radar, radiometers and the scanning weather radar being installed in Balbina. The cloud-aerosol-trace gas interactions over the vertical column will be studied in this component; 3) Extend ATTO tower measurements to the entire Amazon basin on a large scale through extensive ship cruises along the Solimões, Negro, and Amazon rivers, using the UEA ship as a river platform. These measurements focus on the distribution and interactions of VOCs, aerosols, greenhouse gases, and biological particles; 4) Carry out data analysis from the CAFE-Brazil experiment with measurements up to 14 Km of altitude throughout the Amazon, and we will use small aircraft to carry out vertical profiles of aerosols, greenhouse gases, biological particles and other measurements up to 5 Km; 5) Carry out detailed measurements of primary biological aerosol particles throughout the basin, with particle fluorescence detection, enabling the speciation of bacteria, fungal spores, plant fragments and other types of bioaerosols. In this component, we will perform metagenomic analyzes of DNA in aerosol particles to identify species transported atmospherically over long distances from Africa to the Amazon and within the Amazon; 6) Integrate large-scale measurements of greenhouse gases such as CO2 and CH4, including isotopic determination, through cruises on several rivers and sampling at LBA towers along the Amazon; 7) Implement an integrated modeling component to help understand processes and to generalize properties across the basin from fixed point measurements and vessel campaigns, in addition to remote sensing measurements. With these innovative measurements, more complete datasets, and associated modeling efforts, we plan to unravel the complex gas-trace-cloud-aerosol-precipitation interactions. We will also study the feedback between the biosphere and the atmosphere with anthropogenic activities through the impacts of deforestation and emissions from fires. These integrated activities will provide new insights into critical processes that regulate tropical atmospheric chemistry, cloud physics, climate over tropical forests, and the integrated functioning of the Amazonian ecosystem. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

CARAVAN, R. L.; BANNAN, T. J.; WINIBERG, F. A. F.; KHAN, M. A. H.; ROUSSO, A. C.; JASPER, A. W.; WORRALL, S. D.; BACAK, A.; ARTAXO, P.; BRITO, J.; et al. Observational evidence for Criegee intermediate oligomerization reactions relevant to aerosol formation in the troposphere. NATURE GEOSCIENCE, v. 17, n. 3, p. 20-pg., 2024-03-05. (23/04358-9, 17/17047-0)

MAHOWALD, NATALIE M.; LI, LONGLEI; VIRA, JULIUS; PRANK, MARJE; HAMILTON, DOUGLAS S.; MATSUI, HITOSHI; MILLER, RON L.; LU, P. LOUIS; AKYUZ, EZGI; MEIDAN, DAPHNE; et al. AERO-MAP: a data compilation and modeling approach to understand spatial variability in fine- and coarse-mode aerosol composition. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, v. 25, n. 9, p. 38-pg., 2025-05-06. (23/04358-9)