Aircraft and Surface Observation of Aerosol and Cloud Properties in the Houston Area

休斯顿地区气溶胶和云特性的飞机和表面观测

• 批准号: 0447995
• 负责人: Don Collins
• 金额: $ 25.2万
• 依托单位: Texas A&M Research Foundation
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2005
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2005-01-15 至 2006-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0447995&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Aircraft; Surface; Observation; Aerosol; Cloud

The objective of this project is to collect and analyze airborne and surface data on aerosol and cloud properties in and around Houston, Texas. The goal is to understand how clouds are influenced by the chemical and physical characteristics of the aerosols in the air in which they form. Instruments at a surface site and mounted in a Cheyenne II aircraft will measure size distributions, size-resolved hygroscopic growth, and cloud activation efficiency of the local aerosol. The airplane is also equipped to measure cloud droplet size distributions. The work is motivated by observations that have indicated rainfall and lightning anomalies in the vicinity of Houston and other major cities. Several explanations have been proposed to account for the anomalies, one of which is possible effects of pollution aerosols on cloud microstructure. Large cities are the source of abundant aerosols. Although there is no doubt that increased aerosol loading leads to higher concentrations of cloud droplets than in regions away from the urban influence, it is not clear what effect the increase in droplet concentration has on cloud lifetime, precipitation production, or cloud electrification. To answer these questions requires, as a start, the fundamental information on cloud-forming properties of aerosols that this project will produce. The data collection will be coordinated with a field program in the summers of 2005-06 to study pollution in the Houston area sponsored by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. That program (called TexAQS-II) will furnish radar data and other supporting observations to aid in interpreting the cloud and aerosol measurements. A broader impact of the project is the contribution it will make to understanding the influence of anthropogenic emissions on cloud behavior, which ultimately will help quantify the effects of urban aerosol on weather and climate. The project supports a graduate student and provides training opportunities for undergraduates in Dr. Collins's summer field course.

该项目的目标是收集和分析得克萨斯州休斯顿及其周围地区气溶胶和云特性的空中和地面数据。 目的是了解云是如何受到它们形成的空气中气溶胶的化学和物理特性的影响。 在地面站点和安装在夏延II飞机上的仪器将测量当地气溶胶的粒度分布、粒度分辨吸湿增长和云激活效率。 这架飞机还配备了测量云滴大小分布的设备。 这项工作的动机是观察到休斯顿和其他主要城市附近的降雨和闪电异常。 人们提出了几种解释来解释这些异常，其中之一是污染气溶胶对云微观结构的可能影响。 大城市是大量气溶胶的来源。 虽然毫无疑问，增加气溶胶负载导致云滴浓度高于远离城市影响的地区，但尚不清楚云滴浓度的增加对云寿命，降水量或云带电的影响。 要回答这些问题，首先需要这个项目将产生的气溶胶的云形成特性的基本信息。 数据收集将与2005-06年夏季的一个实地项目协调，以研究德克萨斯州环境质量委员会赞助的休斯顿地区的污染。 该计划（称为TexAQS-II）将提供雷达数据和其他支持观测，以帮助解释云和气溶胶测量。 该项目更广泛的影响是它将有助于了解人为排放对云行为的影响，这最终将有助于量化城市气溶胶对天气和气候的影响。 该项目资助一名研究生，并为本科生提供柯林斯博士夏季实地课程的培训机会。