| Abstract: |
As part of our previous DOE ASP project “Characterizing Aerosol Distributions and Optical Properties using Airborne Active and Passive Remote Sensing”, we deployed the new NASA Langley airborne High Spectral Resolution Lidar (HSRL) during several recent field experiments. We propose to continue and expand these activities in two major activities. First, we propose to conduct detailed analyses using the HSRL data acquired during Cumulus Humilis Aerosol Processing Study (CHAPS) to: 1) identify aerosol type and how the aerosol type varies upwind and downwind of OKC, 2) determine the relative contribution of various aerosol types to aerosol extinction and optical thickness, 3) investigate how the various optical properties measured by the HSRL vary in proximity to clouds, 4) assess model simulations of aerosol transport and PBL growth, and 5) examine how the airborne HSRL data can be combined with ground based remote sensing measurements (e.g. Raman lidar) from the DOE ARM Southern Great Plains Climate Research Facility to retrieve quantitative estimates of aerosol physical properties. Second, we propose to deploy the airborne HSRL on future ASP “clear air” aerosol life cycle field experiments to remotely measure aerosol backscattering, extinction and optical thickness profiles, and to evaluate how these measurements can be used to characterize aerosol type and determine key aerosol optical properties and microphysical parameters. If feasible, we would deploy an advanced HSRL system that we are currently developing under a NASA Instrument Incubator Project (IIP) to permit further discrimination of aerosol types and would also permit us to investigate advanced techniques that retrieve height-resolved quantitative estimates of aerosol physical parameters (e.g. effective radius, single scattering albedo, refractive index) from the multiwavelength lidar aerosol backscatter and extinction profiles. Our proposed work would address the ASP functional categories: (2) field measurements and (4) development of new instruments and methods to better measure aerosol composition, optical, and cloud nucleating properties in support of ASP field experiments and would address the ASP science categories: (2) transport and/or transformation of particles, and (4) aerosol characterization (optical properties). |
