VAMOS

VAMOS
Name	VAMOS
Abbreviation	VAMOS
Formation	1990s
Type	Research initiative
Headquarters	Santiago
Region served	South America
Parent organization	World Climate Research Programme

VAMOS

VAMOS is an international research initiative focused on the climate variability and predictability of the South American region and adjacent ocean basins. It brings together scientists from national agencies and international programs such as World Climate Research Programme, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and regional bodies including Universidad de Chile, Universidad de São Paulo, Centro de Investigaciones del Mar y la Atmósfera, and Brazilian National Institute for Space Research. The initiative coordinates field campaigns, modeling intercomparisons, and observational networks to improve understanding of phenomena such as the El Niño–Southern Oscillation, South Atlantic Convergence Zone, Monsoon, and teleconnections with the Pacific Decadal Oscillation.

Overview

VAMOS operates as a component of the World Climate Research Programme and interfaces with programs like GEWEX, CLIVAR, WCRP Grand Challenges, Global Climate Observing System, and IPCC assessment reports. It unites stakeholders from agencies including NOAA, NASA, European Space Agency, Met Office, Instituto Nacional de Meteorología e Hydrología, Servicio Meteorológico Nacional (Argentina), and regional universities such as Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, and Universidade Federal de Pernambuco. VAMOS emphasizes integration across observation, modeling, and prediction, coordinating with reanalysis centers like ECMWF, NCAR, and JMA.

History

VAMOS emerged from discussions within CLIVAR in the 1990s to address deficiencies in understanding South American climate variability, drawing on prior initiatives such as the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme and regional efforts like LBA and Tropical Ocean–Global Atmosphere (TOGA). Early campaigns were planned alongside field programs involving institutions such as Scripps Institution of Oceanography, NOAA Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, and national meteorological services. Subsequent milestones involved coordination with satellite missions from NOAA, NASA Aqua, ESA Envisat, and incorporation of in situ arrays from Research Vessel expeditions, mooring programs supported by WHPO, and land networks managed by CONACYT and CNPq.

Mission and Objectives

The core objectives align with the priorities of WCRP: to quantify climate processes over South America and adjacent oceans, improve seasonal-to-decadal prediction, and support societal applications. Specific goals include advancing understanding of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation, dynamics of the South Atlantic Convergence Zone, interactions with the Andes, and links to the Amazon rainforest and Patagonia cryosphere. VAMOS works with forecasting centers such as CPTEC, INMET, Met Office Hadley Centre, NCEP, and BoM to translate research into improved operational prediction and to inform assessments by IPCC and national ministries, including Ministry of Environment (Brazil).

Instrumentation and Technology

VAMOS leverages a wide range of observational platforms and technologies supplied by partners like NASA Goddard, NOAA OAR, ESA ESRIN, and university groups including MIT, Columbia University, University of Oxford, and University of Colorado Boulder. Instruments include satellite sensors aboard Aqua (satellite), Terra (satellite), MetOp, scatterometers, synthetic aperture radar from ERS-2, radiosonde networks maintained by national services, oceanographic moorings such as TAO/TRITON-like arrays in the Pacific, ARGO floats supported by the Global Ocean Observing System, surface flux towers in collaboration with FLUXNET, and atmospheric profilers including Doppler lidars and wind profilers from institutions like NCAR Earth Observing Laboratory. Data assimilation and modeling utilize coupled models from groups such as CMIP, CORDEX regional downscaling, and high-resolution systems developed at CPTEC, CERFACS, and Met Office.

Operations and Data Products

Operational activities include coordinated field campaigns, maintenance of observational networks, model intercomparison projects, and data archiving with centers like PDL, FTP, NCAR Climate Data Gateway, and regional portals hosted by Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais. Data products encompass gridded precipitation and temperature analyses, reanalyses from ERA-Interim/ERA5, ocean state estimates, seasonal forecast ensembles, and datasets used in attribution studies for events such as droughts and floods. VAMOS collaborates with Global Precipitation Climatology Project, Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission, GPM, SeaWiFS, and regional hydrometeorological services to deliver tailored products for stakeholders including World Food Programme, UNEP, Mercosur, and national disaster agencies.

Scientific Results and Impact

Research coordinated under VAMOS has improved understanding of drivers of South American rainfall variability, documented teleconnections between the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, and regional atmospheric circulation, and contributed to attribution of extreme events impacting the Amazon Basin, La Plata Basin, and Andean snowpack. Studies tied to VAMOS have appeared in journals and assessments while informing operational forecast improvements at centers like CPTEC and NCEP, and influencing policy-relevant work by IPCC and regional ministries. The initiative has fostered capacity building through training programs with universities such as Universidad de Buenos Aires, Universidad de Concepción, and research exchanges with NOAA Climate Program Office, advancing long-term observing strategies and inclusion of novel sensors from partners including JAXA, CNR, and INPE.

Category:Climate research organizations