1 ANÁLISE DO AMBIENTE CONVECTIVO NA REGIÃO SUDOESTE DA AMAZÔNIA: UM ESTUDO DE CASO. Éder Paulo Vendrasco 1 Maria Assunção Faus da Silva Dias 1,2 ABSTRACT This study analyses the dynamic and thermodynamic features associated with a convective system that occurred during the DrytoWet/LBA experiment. For this purpose the water vapour, vorticity and thermodynamic budgets were calculated. An analysis in order to establish the relevance of each term of the referred equations, as well as the identification of the strongest terms, was performed. The radiosonde data were interpolated into regular pressure levels and then submitted to a Barnes objective analysis. Both adiabatic expansion and vertical temperature advection terms were shown as the major contributors to the atmospheric cooling and heating, whereas the horizontal absolute vorticity advection and wind divergence terms were the most relevant into vorticity equations. On the other hand, the moisture budget revealed no prominent term. All the residues had their maximal intensity (negative and positive) about 500 hPa, which agrees with the radar reflectivity data. Keywords: Amazon; water vapour, vorticity and thermodynamic budgets; radiosonde. RESUMO O estudo consistiu em analisar as características dinâmicas e termodinâmicas do sistema convectivo ocorrido durante o experimento DrytoWet/LBA através do cálculo dos resíduos da equação de balanço para o vapor d´água, vorticidade e termodinâmica. Foi feita uma análise para estabelecer a importância de cada termo das equações mencionadas e assim identificar os temos predominantes. Foram utilizados os dados de radiossondagens, os quais foram interpolados em 1 Departamento de Ciências Atmosféricas, Universidade de São Paulo – Rua do Matão, 1226 – Telefone (11) 3091- 4808 – Cidade Universitária – São Paulo – Brasil. (eder@master.iag.usp.br ). 2 Centro de Previsão de Tempo e Estudos Climáticos, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais, Rodovia Presidente Dutra, Km 39 – Telefone (12) 3186-8400 - Cachoeira Paulista – São Paulo – Brasil. (assuncao@cptec.inpe.br ).