MRI: Development of PAEROS (Portable AERosol Observing System) for Global Observations

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The Portable AERosol Observing System (PAEROS) is a development project for a miniaturized instrument package that, when deployed, is expected to provide worldwide observations of aerosols and cloud condensation nuclei (CCN). Small autonomous networks are the future of in-situ atmospheric observations and will dramatically increase spatial coverage, reliability and cost efficiency. The development of PAEROS utilizes techniques developed by the PI to miniaturize and automate payloads for unmanned aerial systems (funded by NSF and NOAA). The compact instrument package (suit-case size and less than 20 kg -an order of magnitude smaller and lighter than current systems) will be designed to operate unattended for up to two months at a time for deployment on research vessels managed by Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO) as they traverse the world's oceans. Once built, PAEROS is expected to be used at selected observatories, such as Observatoires de Recherche en Environnment (ORE) and Global Atmospheric Watch (GAW) sites. Long-term data sets of CCN are virtually non-existent because of the past need for frequent user intervention and high overhead costs associated with the large infrastructure to house the instrumentation. The science benefits of autonomous miniature systems will be potentially numerous as the applications can be extended to remote-ground observations, lightweight unmanned aerial vehicles, interchangeable wing pods, oceanographic vessels and buoys - ultimately improving our science. It is the PIs' goal that this new system serves as a reliable and observationally-based characterization of aerosols that will be used for climate studies and as model input for Global Climate Model simulations of climate change. The fundamental objectives of this research are to:- develop miniature autonomous aerosol packages for continuous measurements of CCN (0.1 to 2% supersaturation; miniature CCN instruments under development by PI at SIO), aerosol number (condensation particle counter) and size distribution (10 to 1000 nm; scanning mobility particle sizer and optical particle counter), absorbing aerosols (single particle soot photometer), temperature, relative humidity, pressure, wind speed and direction. The goal is to achieve a weatherproof observing system the size of a small suitcase (ca. 60 × 40 × 30 cm) which weighs less than 20 kg.- extend the operation of the CCN instrument to measure continuous supersaturation spectra with a single column. - couple the electrostatic classifier with CCN and absorbing carbon (AC) measurements for CCN and AC size distributions (as well as traditional number size distributions) to extract chemical information of the aerosols as a function of supersaturation and size. - operate PAEROS on the Scripps Pier and R/V Horizon (Scripps) during local experiments to verify instrument performance and prepare package for continuous observations. Intellectual Merit: Robust instrumentation and long-term observations of aerosols (especially cloud condensation nuclei) are essential to unraveling aerosol-cloud interactions and their effect on the earth's radiative budget. SIO research vessels provide critical access to the world's oceans for studying natural and anthropogenic sources of aerosols and their effect on clouds. Broader Impact: The development of PAEROS addresses all five components of Broader Impacts as defined by the National Science Board. PAEROS will dramatically expand the capability of the atmospheric research community to measure aerosols and CCN, transcending the limitations of current technology. Through direct involvement of students and interns in the research, and PI involvement in a workforce initiative, this project promotes teaching, training and learning with special attention to broadening the participation of groups underrepresented in science and engineering. The PIs' work will enhance the infrastructure for research through development and broad dissemination of next-generation technology and instrumentation. Used by experimentalists and modelers alike, the data collected will lead to increasingly robust global climate models, enhance understanding of natural and anthropogenic climate change, and ultimately inform critical environmental decision-making.