| Abstract: |
The work addresses the role of clouds and aqueous particles as efficient reactors for the modification of chemical and physical properties of aerosol particles. We use both numerical models and data from the ASP Cumulus Humilis Aerosol Processing Study (CHAPS). The foci of our proposed work are:
-Further development of a chemical aqueous phase mechanism that describes in detail the formation of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) mass in clouds and aqueous particles;
-Application of a parcel model for closure studies on size (mass), hygroscopic and optical properties of cloud-processed inorganic/organic aerosols using CHAPS data;
-Parameterization of organic mass formation in clouds. As an collaboration with colleagues at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, these approaches will be implemented into a module that treats aerosol transformation in fair weather cumuli for application in regional and global climate models.
Our work will result in a highly needed contribution to current aerosol models of different complexities that significantly underestimate SOA mass. It will show the extent to which processes in clouds and particles may alter chemical composition and physical properties of particles and, thus, affect the energy budget in the free troposphere. |
