We are currently in the middle of the dry season in the central Amazon basin, where ATTO is located. This time of year is always characterized by lots of biomass burnings, both natural and anthropogenic. Fires produce aerosols, such as black and brown carbon. But the situation isn’t the same every year.
Our researchers studied the concentration of light-absorbing aerosol particles at ATTO over a 5-year period from 2012 to 2017. They found that the aerosol concentration increased significantly during the El Niño of 2015-2016. During that time, the dry season lasted longer than normal and forest and agricultural fires occurred much more frequently compared to other years.… Continue reading