Between the summers of 2016 and 2017, Dr. Jim Smith and his students from the University of California, Irvine set off to Brazil with a goal in mind to characterize the physical and chemical properties of ultrafine particles found in the Amazon Basin. Ultrafine particles were sampled, using the Sequential Spot Sampler, at the Tapajós KM67 Mature Forest site near Santarém, Brazil. Inside the bounds of the Tapajós National Forest, one can get a better understanding of the influence local anthropogenic emissions have on ultrafine particle composition, formation and growth. The years’ worth of spot samples will give insight into the seasonal differences in ultrafine particle composition.

The instrument was also brought along on a short course held on a river boat on the Tapajós River. There, the Smith group demonstrated how the Spot Sampler worked and talked about its use for field sampling. In the future, the Smith research group hopes to continue deploying the Spot Sampler at other sites in the region, such as the Amazon Tall Tower Observatory.