Collaborative Research: Chemical, Physical, and Radiative Properties of North Atlantic Free Tropospheric Aerosol after Long-range Transport

该项目将加强北大大西洋中部Pico山大气观测站对气溶胶和共污染物的持续测量，该观测站位于亚速尔群岛Pico岛海拔2.2公里处。天文台位于海洋边界层之上，大部份时间接收下层自由对流层的空气特征。人们发现，该地点对于研究大陆流出物非常有价值，这些流出物自三周前离开大陆以来没有受到海洋和当地排放的影响。因此，该地点是调查北美人类活动、北方地区火灾以及偶尔来自撒哈拉沙尘入侵的污染运输事件的理想地点。以前对扩散和化学输送的测量和模拟研究了北美流出物对北大西洋上空对流层臭氧及其前体的影响。在这个项目中，新的测量将添加到目前测量的参数中，以解决气溶胶及其共污染物的辐射特性。这些数据将有助于研究远距离输送气溶胶的光学性质和组成。吸收光的碳及其伴生污染物在经历远距离传输的气团中的辐射强迫，将由三维化学传输和化学气候模型以及弥散模型的组合来确定。这些结果将有助于了解气溶胶的化学、物理和辐射特性，以及气溶胶的远程传输和老化。它将首次提供北大西洋自由对流层气溶胶多年来的详细化学和光学测量数据。建立了皮哥山远距离输运吸光气溶胶的频率和发生气候学。观测、模拟化学输运和辐射强迫模拟将为进一步研究全球吸光气溶胶特性及其分布、改进遥感数据解译提供基础。该项目将汇集来自三所美国大学和一所葡萄牙大学的研究人员。密歇根理工大学教师教育部门的两名参与者将参与其中。这些实习教师将参与Pico的实地研究，并为高中生制定新的教育计划。进一步的推广将有可能建立一个新的皮科山研究网页，并在皮科山国家公园游客中心进行展示。

This project will augment ongoing measurements of aerosols and co-pollutants at the Pico Mountain Atmospheric Observatory in the central North Atlantic, at 2.2 kilometers above sea level on Pico Island in the Azores archipelago. The Observatory resides well above the marine boundary layer and receives air characteristic of the lower free troposphere during most times. The site has been found to be highly valuable for studying continental outflow that has not been affected by the ocean and local emissions since leaving the continent up to three weeks earlier. Consequently, this site is an ideal location to investigate pollution transport events originating from human activities in North America, from fires in the boreal regions, and occasionally from Saharan dust intrusions. Previous measurements and simulations of dispersion and chemical transport have examined the impacts of outflow from North America on tropospheric ozone and its precursors over the North Atlantic Ocean. In this project, new measurements will be added to the parameters presently measured to address the radiative properties of aerosols and its co-pollutants. These data will allow study of the optical properties and composition of long-range transported aerosols. Radiative forcing of light-absorbing carbon and its co-pollutants in air masses undergoing long-range transport and monitored at the Pico Observatory will be determined by a combination of 3-dimensional chemistry-transport and chemistry-climate models and dispersion modeling.The results will contribute to understanding of aerosol chemical, physical and radiative properties with respect to long-range transport and aerosol aging. It will provide the first detailed multi-year chemical and optical measurements of North Atlantic free tropospheric aerosol. A climatology of the frequency and occurrence of long-range transported light absorbing aerosol at Pico Mountain will be developed. The observations, modeled chemical transport, and radiative forcing simulations will provide a foundation for further research on global light-absorbing aerosol properties and on its distribution, for improved remote sensing data interpretations. The project will bring together investigators from three U.S. universities and one Portuguese university. Two participants from the Teachers Education Division at Michigan Technological University will be involved. These student teachers will participate in the field research at Pico and develop new education plans for high school students. Further outreach will be possible with a new Pico Mountain research web page and a display in the Pico Mountain National Park visitor center.