Garland, Rebecca M.Altieri, KatyeDawidowski, LauraGallardo, LauraMbandi, AderianaRojas, Nestor Y.Toure, N’Datchoh Evelyne2024-08-192024-08-192024-05Garland, R. M., Altieri, K. E., Dawidowski, L., Gallardo, L., Mbandi, A., Rojas, N. Y., and Touré, N. E.: Opinion: Strengthening research in the Global South – atmospheric science opportunities in South America and Africa, Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 24, 5757–5764, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-5757-2024, 2024.1680-7316 (print)1680-7324 (online)10.5194/acp-24-5757-2024http://hdl.handle.net/2263/97719This article is part of the special issue titled “20 years of Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics”. It is not associated with a conference.DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT: The data for Figs. 2 and 3 were taken from UNESCO Institute for Statistics database on Science, technology and innovation (http://data.uis.unesco.org/index.aspx?queryid= 3684; http://data.uis.unesco.org/index.aspx?queryid=3684; UIS, 2023a, b). Research and development expenditure as a proportion of GDP in indicator 9.5.1. (Metadata are available here: https:// unstats.un.org/sdgs/metadata/files/Metadata-09-05-01.pdf, last access: 13 May 2024). Researchers (in full-time equivalent) per million inhabitants is indicator 9.5.2. (Metadata are available here: https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/metadata/files/Metadata-09-05-02. pdf, last access: 13 May 2024).To tackle the current pressing atmospheric science issues, as well as those in the future, a robust scientific community is necessary in all regions across the globe. Unfortunately, this does not yet exist. There are many geographical areas that are still underrepresented in the atmospheric science community, many of which are in the Global South. There are also larger gaps in the understanding of atmospheric composition, processes, and impacts in these regions. In this opinion, we focus on two geographical areas in the Global South to discuss some common challenges and constraints, with a focus on our strengths in atmospheric science research. It is these strengths, we believe, that highlight the critical role of Global South researchers in the future of atmospheric science research.en© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.Global SouthUnderrepresentationAtmospheric scienceSDG-04: Quality educationSDG-13: Climate actionArticle