In Situ Measurements of Stratospheric Aerosol Size Distributions and Their Use in a New Aerosol Surface Area Climatology

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This project is focused on vertical profile, surface to ~31 km, aerosol size and concentration measurements from Laramie, Wyoming (41°N, 106°W), and continuing the analysis of the new and historical record of stratospheric aerosol from Laramie, extending back to 1971, to refine what can be derived from the record and to make the measurements more useful to the modeling community. Stratospheric aerosol play important roles in the radiation and chemical balance of the stratosphere through scattering solar radiation and influencing both polar and mid latitude ozone. In the polar regions stratospheric aerosol provide the nuclei for polar stratospheric clouds, which activate chlorine. In the mid latitudes they influence ozone through their impact on the chlorine and nitrogen cycles. In addition to the direct measurements, other activities include: completing new comparisons between in situ and lidar measurements to update the backscatter to extinction and backscatter to surface area ratios available for lidar measurements; completing an analysis of in situ optical particle counter (OPC) and satellite (SAGE II) measurements to understand the source of an underestimation of SAGE II extinctions by OPC derived extinctions during non-volcanic periods; applying the SAGE II comparisons of extinction to refine the aerosol surface area derived from SAGE II measurements, which is approximately half that estimated from OPC measurements; using balloon platforms to facilitate the exploration of the two lowest layers of the Earth's atmosphere by middle and secondary school students and science teachers.