Collaborative Research: Impacts of Mineral Dust on the Lifecycle of Tropical Convection

合作研究：矿物尘对热带对流生命周期的影响

• 批准号: 1005316
• 负责人: Susan van den Heever
• 金额: $ 26.87万
• 依托单位: Colorado State University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2010
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2010-09-01 至 2014-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1005316&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Impacts; Mineral; Dust

The effects of mineral dust acting as both cloud condensation and ice nuclei within organized convective cloud systems over the tropical Atlantic basin will be investigated through a combination of observational analysis and numerical simulations. Idealized simulations will be conducted using the Regional Atmospheric Modeling System (RAMS) to further examine dust aerosol impacts on tropical convective clouds and precipitation are to be guided by observations collected during NAMMA, NASA's African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Activities project, conducted during the 2006 Atlantic hurricane season. The lifecycle of an actual storm (Tropical Storm Debby), which was apparently influenced by ingestion of Saharan dust over the eastern Atlantic, will be simulated in detail. The dynamical and radiative impacts of the Saharan Air Layer (SAL, which carries dust westward from Africa) will be studied, and the relative importance of direct and indirect aerosol effects as well as environmental influences of the SAL itself--including humidity, temperature and vertical wind shear--will be assessed. Observations of aged dust reaching the far western Atlantic upon deep convective clouds in that region will be examined using additional observations from the NSF-supported PREDICT (Pre-Depression Investigation of Cloud-systems in the Tropics) experiment in 2010.The intellectual merit of this effort centers on improved understanding of cloud processes (and in particular cloud and precipitation microphysics) in the presence of influences by dust and other aerosols originating over distant continental regions, and determination of the extent to which these influences may favor or disfavor tropical storm and hurricane formation.Broader impacts will come through support of two principal investigators drawn from an underrepresented group (viz. women in the atmospheric sciences), through a combination of university training and field experience for a graduate student, and ultimately through improved ability to anticipate dust-induced changes in tropical storm formation and/or intensity key to accurate forecasts of Atlantic basin hurricanes.

将通过观测分析和数值模拟相结合的方式来研究热带大西洋盆地上空有组织的对流云系统中矿物尘既充当云凝结又充当冰核的影响。 将使用区域大气模拟系统（RAMS）进行理想化模拟，以进一步检查沙尘气溶胶对热带对流云的影响，降水将以 NAMMA（NASA 非洲季风多学科活动项目）期间收集的观测数据为指导，NAMMA 是在 2006 年大西洋飓风季节进行的。将详细模拟实际风暴（热带风暴黛比）的生命周期，该风暴显然受到东大西洋上空撒哈拉沙尘的影响。 将研究撒哈拉空气层（SAL，将灰尘从非洲向西传播）的动力和辐射影响，并评估直接和间接气溶胶效应以及 SAL 本身的环境影响（包括湿度、温度和垂直风切变）的相对重要性。 将使用 2010 年 NSF 支持的 PREDICT（热带云系统抑郁前调查）实验的附加观测结果来检查该地区深对流云到达远西大西洋的老化尘埃的观测结果。这项工作的智力价值集中于在存在来自遥远地区的尘埃和其他气溶胶影响的情况下，提高对云过程（特别是云和降水微物理）的理解。 大陆地区，并确定这些影响在多大程度上可能有利于或不利于热带风暴和飓风的形成。更广泛的影响将通过来自代表性不足的群体（即大气科学领域的女性）的两名主要研究人员的支持，通过对研究生的大学培训和现场经验的结合，并最终通过提高预测沙尘引起的热带风暴形成和/或强度变化的能力来实现，这对热带风暴和飓风的形成和/或强度至关重要。 大西洋盆地飓风的准确预报。