Abstract
Aircraft measurements of cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) during the Large-Scale Biosphere–Atmosphere Experiment in Amazonia (LBA) were conducted over the Southwestern Amazon region in September–October 2002, to emphasize the dry-to-wet transition season. The CCN concentrations were measured for values within the range 0.1–1.0% of supersaturation. The CCN concentration inside the boundary layer revealed a general decreasing trend during the transition from the end of the dry season to the onset of the wet season. Clean and polluted areas showed large differences. The differences were not so strong at high levels in the troposphere and there was evidence supporting the semi-direct aerosol effect in suppressing convection through the evaporation of clouds by aerosol absorption. The measurements also showed a diurnal cycle following biomass burning activity. Although biomass burning was the most important source of CCN, it was seen as a source of relatively efficient CCN, since the increase was significant only at high supersaturations.
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Acknowledgments
This study was supported by the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq), Financiadora de Estudos e Projetos (FINEP), and Fundação de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP).
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Martins, J.A., Gonçalves, F.L.T., Morales, C.A. et al. Cloud condensation nuclei from biomass burning during the Amazonian dry-to-wet transition season. Meteorol Atmos Phys 104, 83–93 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00703-009-0019-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00703-009-0019-6