Distinct aerosol populations and their vertical gradients in central Amazonia revealed by optical properties and cluster analysis

Abstract. In central Amazonia, aerosol sources, weather, and chemical processes create a highly variable aerosol population. The aerosols' optical properties, shaped by composition and size, determine sunlight interaction and the regional radiation budget. Previous studies observed differences in the particles' physical properties during smoke events and described their vertical gradients during clean periods. However, a complete characterization of these properties at two height levels considering both seasons is still missing. This study connects aerosol optical measurements from the Amazon Tall Tower Observatory (ATTO), at 60 and 325 m heights, to particle composition and sources, characterizing different aerosol populations, assessing their vertical gradients, and associating them with the influence of various emission sources and atmospheric processes. A seasonally segregated clustering method was applied to five years of optical data (2018–2023), allowing for the identification of periods with low biomass-burning impact, long-range transport (LRT) events, and regional pollution episodes. Aerosols from Saharan dust events showed the highest real and imaginary refractive index, along with a large inorganic mass fraction (around 26 %), which differs from typical Amazonian conditions. Furthermore, regional biomass-burning emissions during the dry season promoted elevated fine-mode particle concentrations (median 2250 cm−3), dominated by absorbing carbonaceous material. These particles also showed the maximum mass scattering efficiency, which was consistently higher at the 60 m height, underscoring the importance of vertical transport and aerosol aging processes. These results indicate that the clustering method can discriminate between aerosol populations and elucidate differences between particles of different sources and processes influencing the Amazonian atmosphere.