Micael Amore Cecchini
Geosciences
Micael Amore Cecchini is a scientist passionate about deciphering clouds and understanding the complex processes that occur within them. His project focuses on the unique behaviour of Amazon rain; the meteorologist uses detailed measurements and computational models to understand how clouds form, organize themselves and influence the rainfall regime of the largest Brazilian biome.
An authentic representative of his class, Cecchini reports that the epithet’ head in the clouds’ is old, familiar, and completely appropriate. Graduated in meteorology from the University of São Paulo, he pursued a master’s degree in the same area at the National Institute for Space Research. The doctorate in meteorology was also obtained from INPE. The scientist spent three postdoctoral periods, one at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in the United States. Today, he is a professor at the University of São Paulo. In addition to his deep involvement with meteorological research, Cecchini is a classical guitar enthusiast and a lover of nature, where he occasionally ventures. He also ventures into Benício’s fatherhood, considering his most significant journey.
Projects
We do not have to deal with volcanoes, major earthquakes, or hurricanes. Brazil’s relationship with climate and climate change is primarily through rain. In the Clouds is a documentary made in collaboration with screenwriter and documentarian Kelly Cristina Spinelli and meteorologist Micael Cecchini. It will bring climate scientists, among other researchers and their studies, closer to common sense and the knowledge of indigenous people.
We will embark on the adventure of obtaining data on the particles that form Amazonian clouds (at the Atto tower, the world’s tallest research tower, and in flights at 15 km altitude) and how what is being researched there – from the impact of pollution particles on clouds to the formation of flying rivers – relates to the life of the average citizen.
Amount invested
Clouds are an essential component of the climate in the Amazon and are responsible for redistributing water throughout the region. Such clouds are challenging to represent in mathematical models because they occur on small spatial scales and, therefore, require greater computational power. Consequently, we seek to understand, through measurements and detailed computational models, how these clouds form, organize and grow throughout the day. In particular, we seek to understand the population behaviour of Amazonian clouds and how this affects their ability to generate rain. In other words, what is the difference in the rainfall regime in scenarios with small and numerous clouds versus large and less numerous clouds? What are the mechanisms that generate these two types of scenarios? Which scenario is most efficient at converting water vapour in the atmosphere into rain on the surface?
Amount invested
Grant Fapesp: R$ 466.666,67
