Hefei Institutes of Physical Science (HFIPS) of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and the Brazilian Institute of Energy and Nuclear Research (IPEN) signed a cooperation agreement on April 9th. The agreement focuses on expanding the The Alliance of National and International Science Organizations for the Belt and Road Regions (ANSO) Atmospheric Observation Network to Brazil.

The ANSO Atmospheric Observation Network is part of GAONet, the Global Aerosol-Cloud-Precipitation Observation Network.

This collaboration was unfolded during the 12th edition of the Workshop on Lidar Measurements in Latin America (XII WLMLA), spanning from April 7th to April 12th in Brazil.

According to the agreement, three observation sites will be deployed in Brazil, beginning with Sao Paulo, Brazil. The sites will be equipped with small-scale aerosol lidars, cloud observation instruments, and precipitation weather sensors developed by Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Optics of HFIPS. Together with five sites previously established in Russia, Belarus, and China, this network will collectively observe global atmospheric aerosols, clouds, and precipitation phenomena.

Personnel exchanges, talent cultivation, and enhanced cooperation efforts are also included in the agreement.

"These observation sites will contribute to the monitoring of global atmospheric phenomena, thereby facilitating research on environmental and climate change," said Prof. WANG Yingjian, Director of Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Optics at HFIPS.

The Latin America Lidar Network (LALINET), was created during the first WLMLA in 2001. The goal of this network was to share knowledge between LiDAR researchers and students, promoting cooperation between scientific members of the LiDAR community, and fostering future LiDAR research projects.