A large scale field experiment in the Amazon basin (LAMBADA/BATERISTA)

A description is given of a large-scale field experiment planned in the Amazon basin, aimed at assessing the large-scale balances of energy, water and carbon dioxide. The embedding of this experiment in global change programmes is described, viz. the Biospheric Aspects of the Hydrological Cycle project (BAHC) of the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP), and the Global Energy and Water Flux Experiment (GEWEX) of the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP). A proposal by four European groups aimed at designing the experiment with the help of mesoscale models is described and a possible European input to this experiment is suggested.