Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “BRAZIL”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 253 records · Page 14
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1996

Examination of Biomass Fire Temperature and Areal Extent from Calibrated AVIRIS Spectra

Biomass burning is an important process on the Earth at the local, regional and global scales. To investigate issues related to biomass burning, a range of remotely acquired data were measured as part of the NASA Smoke Cloud Aerosol and Radiation experiment in Brazil, 1995. As part of this experiment, images of calibrated spectral radiance from 400 to 2500 nm at 10 nm intervals were acquired by AVIRIS. To investigate the expression of biomass fires in AVIRIS spectra, a model of the upwelling radiance from a burning fire was developed. This spectral model accounts for four components in the 20 by 20 m AVIRIS spatial resolution element. These are: (1) the atmospheric path radiance, (2) the solar reflected radiance from unburnt vegetation and soil, (3) the apparent temperature and area of a primary fire, and (4) the apparent temperature and area of a secondary fire. A nonlinear least squares spectral fitting algorithm was developed to invert this model for the AVIRIS spectra. The derived biomass burning parameters from this algorithm are presented for AVIRIS spectral images acquired over Cuiaba, Brazil on 25 August 1995.

Green Robert O.↗
NASA NTRS1998

Tropical Tropospheric Ozone (TTO) Maps from Nimbus 7 and Earth-Probe TOMS by the Modified-Residual Method: Validation, Evaluation and Trends based on Atlantic Regional Time Series - 1

The well-known wave-one pattern seen in tropical total ozone [Shiotani, 1992; Ziemke et al., 1996, 1998] has been used to develop a modified-residual (MR) method for retrieving time-averaged stratospheric ozone and tropospheric ozone column amount from TOMS (Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer) over the 14 complete calendar years of Nimbus 7 observations (1979-1992) and from TOMS on the Earth-Probe (1996-present) and ADEOS platforms (1996- 1997). Nine- to sixteen-day averaged tropical tropospheric ozone (TTO) maps, validated with ozonesondes, show a seasonality expected from dynamical and chemical influences. The maps may be viewed on a homepage: http://metosrv2.umd.edu/~tropo. Stratospheric column ozone, which is also derived by the modified-residual method, compares well with sondes (to within 6-7 DU) and with stratospheric ozone column derived from other satellites (within 8-10 DU). Validation of the TTO time-series is presently limited to ozonesonde comparisons with Atlantic stations and sites on the adjacent continents (Ascension Island, Natal, Brazil; Brazzaville); for the sounding periods, TTO at all locations agrees with the sonde record to +/-7 DU. TTO time-series and the magnitude of the wave-one pattern show ENSO signals in the strongest El Nifio periods from 1979-1998. From 12degN and 12degS, zonally averaged tropospheric ozone shows no significant trend from 1980-1990. Trends are also not significant during this period in localized regions, e.g. from just west of South America across to southern Africa. This is consistent with the ozonesonde record at Natal, Brazil (the only tropical ozone data publicly available for the 1980's), which shows a not statistically significant increase. The lack of trend in tropospheric ozone agrees with a statistical analysis based on another method for deriving TTO from TOMS, the so-called Convective-Cloud-Differential approach of Ziemke et al. [1998].

Thompson, Anne M.↗
NASA NTRS1999

The Rondonia Lightning Detection Network: Network Description, Science Objectives, Data Processing/Archival Methodology, and First Results

A four station Advanced Lightning Direction Finder (ALDF) network was recently established in the state of Rondonia in western Brazil through a collaboration of U.S. and Brazilian participants from NASA, INPE, INMET, and various universities. The network utilizes ALDF IMPACT (Improved Accuracy from Combined Technology) sensors to provide cloud-to-ground lightning observations (i.e., stroke/flash locations, signal amplitude, and polarity) using both time-of-arrival and magnetic direction finding techniques. The observations are collected, processed and archived at a central site in Brasilia and at the NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in Huntsville, Alabama. Initial, non-quality assured quick-look results are made available in near real-time over the internet. The network will remain deployed for several years to provide ground truth data for the Lightning Imaging Sensor (LIS) on the Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission (TRMM) satellite which was launched in November 1997. The measurements will also be used to investigate the relationship between the electrical, microphysical and kinematic properties of tropical convection. In addition, the long-term observations from this network will contribute in establishing a regional lightning climatological data base, supplementing other data bases in Brazil that already exist or may soon be implemented. Analytic inversion algorithms developed at NASA/MSFC are now being applied to the Rondonian ALDF lightning observations to obtain site error corrections and improved location retrievals. The processing methodology and the initial results from an analysis of the first 6 months of network operations will be presented.

Blakelee, Richard↗
NASA NTRS1999

A Combined Infrared and Microwave Technique for Studying the Diurnal Variation of Rainfall over Amazonia

Over 10 years of continuous data from the Special Sensor microwave Imager (SSM/I) aboard a series of Defense Department satellites has made it possible to construct regional rainfall climatologies at high spatial resolution. Using the Goddard Profiling Algorithm (GPROF), monthly estimates of precipitation were made over the region of northern Brazil, including the Amazon Basin, for 1987 to 1998. GPROF is a physical approach to passive microwave precipitation retrieval, which uses the Goddard Cumulus Ensemble (cloud) model to establish prior probability densities of precipitation structures. Precipitation fields from GPROF were stratified into morning and evening satellite overpasses, and accumulated at monthly intervals at 0.5 degree spatial resolution. Important diurnal effects were noted in the analysis, the most pronounced being a land/sea breeze circulation along the northern coast of Brazil and a mountain/valley circulation along the Andes. There were also indications of morning rainfall maxima along the major rivers, and evening maxima between the rivers. The addition of simultaneous geosynchronous infrared (IR) data leads to the current technique, which takes advantage of the 30 minute sampling and 4 km spatial resolution of the infrared channel and the better physics of the microwave retrieval. The resultant IR method is subsequently used to derive the diurnal variability of rainfall over the Amazon basin, and further, to investigate the relative contribution from its convective and stratiform components.

Negri, Andrew J.↗
NASA NTRS1999

The Rondonia Lightning Detection Network: Network Description, Science Objectives, Data Processing/Archival Methodology, and First Results

A four station Advanced Lightning Direction Finder (ALDF) network was recently established in the state of Rondonia in western Brazil through a collaboration of U.S. and Brazilian participants from NASA, INPE, INMET, and various universities. The network utilizes ALDF IMPACT (Improved Accuracy from Combined Technology) sensors to provide cloud-to-ground lightning observations (i.e., stroke/flash locations, signal amplitude, and polarity) using both time-of-arrival and magnetic direction finding techniques. The observations are collected, processed and archived at a central site in Brasilia and at the NASA/ Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in Huntsville, Alabama. Initial, non-quality assured quick-look results are made available in near real-time over the internet. The network will remain deployed for several years to provide ground truth data for the Lightning Imaging Sensor (LIS) on the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite which was launched in November 1997. The measurements will also be used to investigate the relationship between the electrical, microphysical and kinematic properties of tropical convection. In addition, the long-term observations from this network will contribute in establishing a regional lightning climatological data base, supplementing other data bases in Brazil that already exist or may soon be implemented. Analytic inversion algorithms developed at NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) are now being applied to the Rondonian ALDF lightning observations to obtain site error corrections and improved location retrievals. The processing methodology and the initial results from an analysis of the first 6 months of network operations will be presented.

Blakeslee, Rich↗
NASA NTRS1999

Satellite Remote Sensing of Aerosol Forcing

The role of aerosol forcing remains one of the largest uncertainties in estimating man's impact on the global climate system. One school of thought suggests that remote sensing by satellite sensors will provide the data necessary to narrow these uncertainties. While satellite measurements of direct aerosol forcing appear to be straightforward, satellite measurements of aerosol indirect forcing will be more complicated. Pioneering studies identified indirect aerosol forcing using AVHRR data in the biomass burning regions of Brazil. We have expanded this analysis with AVHRR to include an additional year of data and assimilated water vapor fields. The results show similar latitudinal dependence as reported by Kaufman and Fraser, but by using water vapor observations we conclude that latitude is not a proxy for water vapor and the strength of the indirect effect is not correlated to water vapor amounts. In addition to the AVHRR study we have identified indirect aerosol forcing in Brazil at much smaller spatial scales using the MODIS Airborne Simulator. The strength of the indirect effect appears to be related to cloud type and cloud dynamics. There is a suggestion that some of the cloud dynamics may be influenced by smoke destabilization of the atmospheric column. Finally, this study attempts to quantify remote sensing limitations due to the accuracy limits of the retrieval algorithms. We use a combination of numerical aerosol transport models, ground-based AERONET data and ISCCP cloud climatology to determine how much of the forcing occurs in regions too clean to determine from satellite retrievals.

Remer, Lorraine↗
NASA NTRS1999

Modeling Mesoscale Eddies in the North Atlantic Ocean

Ocean modeling plays an important role in understanding the current climatic conditions and predicting the future climate change. Modeling the ocean at eddy-permitting and/or eddy resolving resolutions (1/3 degree or higher) has a two-fold objective. One part is to represent the ocean as realistically as possible, because mesoscale eddies have an impact on the large-scale circulation. The second objective is to learn how to represent effects of mesoscale eddies without explicitly resolving them. This is particularly important for climate models which cannot be run at eddy-resolving resolutions because of the computational constraints. At JPL, a 1/6 degree latitude by 1/6 degree longitude with 37 vertical levels Atlantic Ocean model has been developed. The model is based on the Parallel Ocean Program (POP) developed at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). Using the 256-processor Cray T3D, we have conducted a 40-year integration of this Atlantic eddy-resolving ocean model. A regional analysis demonstrate that many observed features associated with the Caribbean Sea eddies can be realistically simulated by this model. Analysis of this Atlantic eddy-resolving ocean model further suggests that these Caribbean Sea eddies are connected with eddies formed outside the Caribbean Sea at the confluence of the North Brazil Current (NBC) and the North Equatorial Countercurrent. The diagram of the model simulated surface current shows that the Caribbean eddies ultimately originate in the NBC retroflection region, traveling more than a year from the North Brazil coast through the Lesser Antilles into the Caribbean Sea and eventually into the Gulf of Mexico. Additional information is contained in the original.

Chao, Yi↗
NASA NTRS2000

Fallspeeds and Vertical Air Motions in Stratiform Rain Derived from ER-2 Doppler Radar Observations

The Tropical Rain Measuring Mission (TRMM) conducted several intensive field validation campaigns for improved understanding of Tropical precipitation systems. Two of the campaigns (TEFLUN in Florida and Texas, and LBA in Brazil) utilized: the NASA ER-2 high-altitude (20 km) remote sensing aircraft instrumented with the ER-2 Doppler Radar (EDOP), the University of North Dakota Citation microphysics aircraft, and the NCAR S-POL polarization radar. This paper focuses on EDOP-derived fallspeeds and vertical velocities in the rain regions of two stratiform cases (5 September 1998 along the east coast of Florida, and 17 February 1999 in Amazonia in Brazil). These cases were sampled in situ microphysically by the Citation and reported elsewhere in this meeting; the main emphasis of this paper will be on the airborne radar measurements and inferences from them.

Heymsfield, G. M.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Radiative Properties of Smoke and Aerosol Over Land Surfaces

This talk discusses smoke and aerosol's radiative properties with particular attention to distinguishing the measurement over clear sky from clouds over land, sea, snow, etc. surfaces, using MODIS Airborne Simulator data from (Brazil, arctic sea ice and tundra and southern Africa, west Africa, and other ecosystems. This talk also discusses the surface bidirectional reflectance using Cloud Absorption Radiometer, BRDF measurements of Saudi Arabian desert, Persian Gulf, cerrado and rain forests in Brazil, sea ice, tundra, Atlantic Ocean, Great Dismal Swamp, Kuwait oil fire smoke. Recent upgrades to instrument (new TOMS UVA channels at 340 and 380 planned use in Africa (SAFARI 2000) and possibly for MEIDEX will also be discussed. This talk also plans to discuss the spectral variation of surface reflectance over land and the sensitivity of off-nadir view angles to correlation between visible near-infrared reflectance for use in remote sensing of aerosol over land.

King, Michael D.↗
NASA NTRS2001

TRMM Observations of Convective Regimes in the Amazon

This study utilizes TRMM satellite precipitation radar, lightning imaging sensor, and passive microwave imager data together with ground-based lightning data to investigate the vertical structure, lightning, and rainfall characteristics of Amazonian and central South American convection for three separate wet-seasons. These characteristics are partitioned as a function of 850 mb zonal wind direction, motivated by observations collected during the six-week TRMM-LBA field campaign. The TRMM-LBA field campaign observations suggest that systematic variations in Amazonian convective vertical structure, lightning, and rainfall are all linked to bimodal variations in the low-level zonal wind (e.g., easterly and westerly regimes). The more spatially and temporally comprehensive TRMM dataset used in this study extends the TRMM-LBA observations by examining regime variability in Amazonian and South American convective structure over a continental scale domain. On a continental-scale, patterns of east and west regime 850 mb winds combined with LIS lightning flash densities suggest the presence of synoptic-scale controls (e.g., intrusion of extratropical frontal systems and interaction with the SACZ) on regional-scale variability in convective vertical structure. TRMM PR, TMI and ground-based lightning data suggest that regional variability in wet-season convective structure is most evident over the southern Amazon, Mato Grosso, Altiplano, southern Brazil, and eastern coastal regions of central and southern South America. Convective vertical structure, rain fall rates, and lightning activity are all more pronounced during easterly (westerly) regimes over the southern Amazon and Mato Grosso (Altiplano, and southern Brazil). Importantly, when considered with case-study results from TRMM-LBA, the systematic differences in convective structure that occur as a function of regime suggest that associated regime-differences may exist in the vertical distribution of diabatic heating. Hence the discrimination of convective vertical structure "regimes" over parts of the Amazon and vicinity based on a resolved variable such as the 850 mb zonal wind direction, while far from being perfect, may have important applications to the problems of cumulus parameterization, rainfall estimation and retrievals of latent heating over the Amazon.

Petersen, W. A.↗
NASA NTRS2003

The Rondonia Lightning Detection Network: Network Description, Science Objectives, Data Processing Archival/Methodology, and Results

A four station Advanced Lightning Direction Finder (ALDF) network was established in the state of Rondonia in western Brazil in 1999 through a collaboration of U.S. and Brazilian participants from NASA, INPE, INMET, and various universities. The network utilizes ALDF IMPACT (Improved Accuracy from Combined Technology) sensors to provide cloud-to-ground lightning observations (i.e., stroke/flash locations, signal amplitude, and polarity) using both time-of- arrival and magnetic direction finding techniques. The observations are collected, processed and archived at a central site in Brasilia and at the NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Initial, non-quality assured quick-look results are made available in near real-time over the Internet. The network, which is still operational, was deployed to provide ground truth data for the Lightning Imaging Sensor (LIS) on the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite that was launched in November 1997. The measurements are also being used to investigate the relationship between the electrical, microphysical and kinematic properties of tropical convection. In addition, the long-time series observations produced by this network will help establish a regional lightning climatological database, supplementing other databases in Brazil that already exist or may soon be implemented. Analytic inversion algorithms developed at the NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center have been applied to the Rondonian ALDF lightning observations to obtain site error corrections and improved location retrievals. The data will also be corrected for the network detection efficiency. The processing methodology and the results from the analysis of four years of network operations will be presented.

Blakeslee, R. J.↗
NASA NTRS2007

Amazon Land Wars in the South of Para

The South of Para, located in the heart of the Brazilian Amazon, has become notorious for violent land struggle. Although land conflict has a long history in Brazil, and today impacts many parts of the country, violence is most severe and persistent here. The purpose of this article is to examine why. Specifically, we consider how a particular Amazonian place, the so-called South of Para has come to be known as Brazil's most dangerous badland. We begin by considering the predominant literature, which attributes land conflict to the frontier expansion process with intensified struggle emerging in the face of rising property values and demand for private property associated with capitalist development. From this discussion, we distill a concept of the frontier, based on notions of property rights evolution and locational rents. We then empirically test the persistence of place-based violence in the region, and assess the frontier movement through an analysis of transportation costs. The findings from the analyses indicate that the prevalent theorization of frontier violence in Amazonia does little to explain its persistent and pervasive nature in the South of Para. To fill this gap in understanding, we develop an explanation based the geographic conception of place, and we use contentious politics theory heuristically to elucidate the ways in which general processes interact with place specific history to engender a landscape of violence. In so doing, we focus on environmental, cognitive, and relational mechanisms (and implicated structures), and attempt to deploy them in an explanatory framework that allows direct observation of the accumulating layers of the region's tragic history. We end by placing our discussion within a political ecological context, and consider the implications of the Amazon Land War for the environment.

Simmons, Cynthia S.↗
NASA NTRS2007

Analytical Approach Validation for the Spin-Stabilized Satellite Attitude

An analytical approach for spin-stabilized spacecraft attitude prediction is presented for the influence of the residual magnetic torques and the satellite in an elliptical orbit. Assuming a quadripole model for the Earth s magnetic field, an analytical averaging method is applied to obtain the mean residual torque in every orbital period. The orbit mean anomaly is used to compute the average components of residual torque in the spacecraft body frame reference system. The theory is developed for time variations in the orbital elements, giving rise to many curvature integrals. It is observed that the residual magnetic torque does not have component along the spin axis. The inclusion of this torque on the rotational motion differential equations of a spin stabilized spacecraft yields conditions to derive an analytical solution. The solution shows that the residual torque does not affect the spin velocity magnitude, contributing only for the precession and the drift of the spin axis of the spacecraft. The theory developed has been applied to the Brazilian s spin stabilized satellites, which are quite appropriated for verification and comparison of the theory with the data generated and processed by the Satellite Control Center of Brazil National Research Institute. The results show the period that the analytical solution can be used to the attitude propagation, within the dispersion range of the attitude determination system performance of Satellite Control Center of Brazil National Research Institute.

Zanardi, Maria Cecilia F. P. S.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Characterizing Vegetation Cover in Global Savannas with an Annual Foliage Clumping Index Derived from the MODIS BRDF Product

The global savanna biome is characterized by enormous diversity in the physiognomy and spatial structure of the vegetation. The foliage clumping index can be calculated from bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) data. It measures the response of the darkspot reflectance to increased shadow associated with clumped vegetation and is related to leaf area index. Clumping index theoretically declines with increasing woody cover until the tree canopy begins to become uniform. In this study, clumping index is calculated for Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer BRDF data for the Australian tropical savanna, the tropical savannas of South America, and the tropical savannas of east, west and southern Africa and compared with site-based measurements of tree canopy cover, and with area-based classifications of land cover. There were differences in sensitivity of clumping index between red and near-infrared reflectance channels, and between savanna systems with markedly different woody vegetation physiognomy. Clumping index was broadly related to foliage cover from historical site data in Australia and in West Africa and Kenya, but not in Southern Africa nor with detailed site-based demographic data in the cerrado of Brazil. However, clumping index decreased with proportion of woody cover in land cover datasets for east Africa, Australia and the Colombian Llanos. There was overlap in the range of clumping index values for forest, cerrado and campo land covers in Brazil. Clumping index was generally negatively correlated with percentage tree cover from the MODIS Vegetation Continuous Fields product, but regional differences in the relationship were evident. There were large differences in the frequency distributions of clumping index from savanna, woody savanna and grassland land cover classes between global ecoregions. The clumping index shows differing sensitivity to savanna woody cover for red and NIR reflectance, and requires regional calibration for application as a universal indicator.

Hill, Michael J.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Preface for the ILWS Special Issue of JASTP

During the week of October 4-9,2009, about 160 participants from 19 countries met at the Itamambuca resort area of Ubatuba, Sao Paulo, Brazil to discuss the "Influence of solar variability on geophysical and heliospheric phenomena" Conference, organized by the International Living With a Star (ILWS) Program of NASA and by the National Institute of Space Research (INPE) of Brazil. This special issue collects 38 papers from that Conference, with 3 papers dealing with solar topics, 12 with interplanetary and cosmic rays,12 with magnetospheric, 9 with the low-latitude ionosphere and 2 with solar terrestrial system and climate. Furthermore six of the review papers presented at that Conference are being published in a special issue of the SpaceScience Reviews journal. The combined ensemble of papers describes the complex series of phenomena that link the Sun to the Earth.

Gonzalez, Walter D.↗
NASA NTRS2013

Sao Paulo Lightning Mapping Array (SP-LMA): Network Assessment and Analyses for Intercomparison Studies and GOES-R Proxy Activities

A 12 station Lightning Mapping Array (LMA) network was deployed during October 2011in the vicinity of São Paulo, Brazil (SP-LMA) to contribute total lightning measurements to an international field campaign [CHUVA - Cloud processes of tHe main precipitation systems in Brazil: A contribUtion to cloud resolVing modeling and to the GPM (GlobAl Precipitation Measurement)]. The SP-LMA was operational from November 2011 through March 2012. Sensor spacing was on the order of 15-30 km, with a network diameter on the order of 40-50km. The SP-LMA provides good 3-D lightning mapping out to150 km from the network center, with 2-D coverage considerably farther. In addition to supporting CHUVA science/mission objectives, the SP-LMA is supporting the generation of unique proxy data for the Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) and Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI), on NOAA's Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-R (GOES-R: scheduled for a 2015 launch). These proxy data will be used to develop and validate operational algorithms so that they will be ready to use on "day1" following the GOES-R launch. The SP-LMA data also will be intercompared with lightning observations from other deployed lightning networks to advance our understanding of the capabilities/contributions of each of these networks toward GLM proxy and validation activities. This paper addresses the network assessment and analyses for intercomparison studies and GOES-R proxy activities

Blakeslee, R. J.↗
NASA NTRS2014

Sao Paulo Lightning Mapping Array (SP-LMA): Network Assessment and Analyses for Intercomparison Studies and GOES-R Proxy Activities

A 12 station Lightning Mapping Array (LMA) network was deployed during October 2011 in the vicinity of Sao Paulo, Brazil (SP-LMA) to contribute total lightning measurements to an international field campaign [CHUVA - Cloud processes of tHe main precipitation systems in Brazil: A contribUtion to cloud resolVing modeling and to the GPM (GlobAl Precipitation Measurement)]. The SP-LMA was operational from November 2011 through March 2012 during the Vale do Paraiba campaign. Sensor spacing was on the order of 15-30 km, with a network diameter on the order of 40-50km. The SP-LMA provides good 3-D lightning mapping out to 150 km from the network center, with 2-D coverage considerably farther. In addition to supporting CHUVA science/mission objectives, the SP-LMA is supporting the generation of unique proxy data for the Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) and Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI), on NOAA's Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-R (GOES-R: scheduled for a 2015 launch). These proxy data will be used to develop and validate operational algorithms so that they will be ready to use on "day1" following the GOES-R launch. As the CHUVA Vale do Paraiba campaign opportunity was formulated, a broad community-based interest developed for a comprehensive Lightning Location System (LLS) intercomparison and assessment study, leading to the participation and/or deployment of eight other ground-based networks and the space-based Lightning Imaging Sensor (LIS). The SP-LMA data is being intercompared with lightning observations from other deployed lightning networks to advance our understanding of the capabilities/contributions of each of these networks toward GLM proxy and validation activities. This paper addresses the network assessment including noise reduction criteria, detection efficiency estimates, and statistical and climatological (both temporal and spatially) analyses for intercomparison studies and GOES-R proxy activities.

Bailey, J. C.↗
NASA NTRS2015

Thermodynamics and Cloud Radiative Effect from the First Year of GoAmazon

Deforestation is an ongoing concern for the Amazon Rainforest of Brazil and associated changes to the land surface have been hypothesized to alter the climate in the region. A comprehensive set of meteorological observations at the surface and within the lower troposphere above Manacapuru, Brazil and data from the Modern Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications Version 2 (MERRA-2) are used to evaluate the seasonal cycle of cloudiness, thermodynamics, and the radiation budget. While ample moisture is present in the Amazon Rainforest year round, the northward progression of the Hadley circulation during the dry season contributes to a drying of the middle troposphere and inhibits the formation of deep convection. This results in a reduction in cloudiness and precipitation as well as an increase in the height of the lifting condensation level, which is shown to have a negative correlation to the fraction of low clouds. Frequent cloudiness prevents solar radiation from reaching the surface and clouds are often reflective with high values of shortwave cloud radiative effect at the surface and top of the atmosphere. Cloud radiative effect is reduced during the dry season however the dry season surface shortwave cloud radiative effect is still double what is observed during the wet season in other tropical locations. Within the column, the impact of clouds on the radiation budget is more prevalent in the longwave part of the spectrum, with a net warming in the wet season.

Amazon Rainforest↗