Articles | Volume 23, issue 7
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-4595-2023
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-4595-2023
Research article
 | 
17 Apr 2023
Research article |  | 17 Apr 2023

Satellite observations of smoke–cloud–radiation interactions over the Amazon rainforest

Ross Herbert and Philip Stier

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Cited articles

Andreae, M. O., Rosenfeld, D., Artaxo, P., Costa, A. A., Frank, G. P., Longo, K. M., and Silva-Dias, M. A. F.: Smoking Rain Clouds over the Amazon, Science, 303, 1337–1342, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1092779, 2004. 
Barkley, A. E., Prospero, J. M., Mahowald, N., Hamilton, D. S., Popendorf, K. J., Oehlert, A. M., Pourmand, A., Gatineau, A., Panechou-Pulcherie, K., Blackwelder, P., and Gaston, C. J.: African biomass burning is a substantial source of phosphorus deposition to the Amazon, Tropical Atlantic Ocean, and Southern Ocean, P. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 116, 16216–16221, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1906091116, 2019. 
Bevan, S. L., North, P. R. J., Grey, W. M. F., Los, S. O., and Plummer, S. E.: The impact of atmospheric aerosol from biomass burning on Amazon dry-season drought, in: European Space Agency, Special Publication, ESA SP, https://doi.org/10.1029/2008jd011112, 2008. 
Boisier, J. P., Ciais, P., Ducharne, A., and Guimberteau, M.: Projected strengthening of Amazonian dry season by constrained climate model simulations, Nat. Clim. Chang., 5, 656–660, https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate2658, 2015. 
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Short summary
We provide robust evidence from multiple sources showing that smoke from fires in the Amazon rainforest significantly modifies the diurnal cycle of convection and cools the climate. Low to moderate amounts of smoke increase deep convective clouds and rain, whilst beyond a threshold amount, the smoke starts to suppress the convection and rain. We are currently at this threshold, suggesting increases in fires from agricultural practices or droughts will reduce cloudiness and rain over the region.
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