The ATTO-Campina site: A new observatory for tropical convection and gas-aerosol-cloud-precipitation interactions in the Amazon
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: We present results from ATTO-Campina, a new permanent observational site in central Amazon, about 4 km from the ATTO towers. Operational since 2020, ATTO-Campina characterizes atmospheric, cloud and rainfall properties through remote sensing. The goal is to provide continuous, complementary measurements to the ATTO towers, addressing the rainforest’s complex gas-aerosol-cloud-precipitation dynamics. Using a 3.5-year dataset, we classified convective clouds into three types: shallow cumulus ( ShCu ), congestus ( Con ) or ( Deep ) clouds. The shallow-to-deep transition takes about three hours, starting with ShCu formation at 11:00 local time. The accumulated rainfall peak follows at about 16:00. Only weak downdrafts are present in the upper troposphere where previous studies indicate new particle formation (NPF) occurrence. Strong downdrafts are mostly limited to heights below 5 km. Con and Deep convective days have higher concentrations of ultrafine aerosol and lower concentrations of accumulation-mode particles compared to ShCu . Convective clouds also significantly modify gas mixing ratios. Deep convective clouds are associated with high near-surface O 3 , consistent with downward transport from the midtroposphere. Our results showcase the added detail achieved by integrating data from the ATTO towers and ATTO-Campina sites. Together, these sites support better understanding of interconnected gas-aerosol-cloud-precipitation processes in the Amazon and their evolution under climate change.
Authors: Micael A. Cecchini, Rachel I. Albrecht, Meinrat O. Andreae, Hella v. Asperen, Paulo Artaxo, Gholamhossein Bagheri, Gabriel G. Balestra, Cybelli G.G. Barbosa, Henrique M. J. Barbosa, Amábile S. Bighetto, Thiago S. Biscaro, Eberhard Bodenschatz, Santiago Botía, Lemoel Pimentel de Brito, Raquel C. Bueno, Alan J. P. Calheiros, Lucas Camargo, J. Christine Chiu, Maíra Conde, Eliana N. da Costa, Cleo Q. Dias-Júnior, Philipp Faulhammer, Marco A. Franco, Scott E. Giangrande, Hartwig Harder, Guido G. Haytzmann, Dirceu L. Herdies, Stefan Herdy, Sam P. Jones, Jürgen Kesselmeier, Jos Lelieveld, Camila da C. Lopes, Friederike Lipken, Tabata L. B. de Macêdo, Flávio C. Magina, André Massafferri, Carolina de A. Monteiro, Fernando G. Morais, Marina C. S. Neofiti, Christopher Pöhlker, Mira Pöhlker, Ulrich Pöschl, André C. Pugliesi, Puig B. Raidiel, Carlos A. Quesada, Subha S. Raj, Luciana V. Rizzo, Maria Isabel Rossi, Luiz F. Sapucci, Ivan Saraiva, Patric Seifert, Francisco A. G. da Silva, Davi F. Silva, Rodrigo A. F. de Souza, Carla Maria Alves Souza, Bruno Takeshi, Ana Beatriz S. Torres, Susan E. Trumbore, Anywhere Tsokankunku, Gabriela R. Unfer, Wanda I. D. Valenti, Jordi Vilà-Guerau de Arellano, Bettina Weber, Christopher R. Williams, Jonathan Williams, Luiz A. T. Machado
Institutions: Universidade de São Paulo, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, King Saud University, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais, Colorado State University, University of Graz, Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia do Pará, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Centro Brasileiro de Pesquisas Físicas, Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Centro Gestor e Operacional do Sistema de Proteção da Amazônia, Universidade do Estado do Amazonas, Wageningen University & Research, University of Colorado Boulder
Language: English
Subfield: Global and Planetary Change
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
SDG: Climate action
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W4415399899