RAPID: In Situ Measurements of Australian Bushfire Smoke in the Stratosphere

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In this RAPID project, two PIs propose to conduct field observations in New Zealand and Costa Rica to determine physical and chemical properties of smoke particles that were entrained into the stratosphere during recent large wildfires in Australia. New knowledge will inform atmospheric chemists and modelers about the potential heating effect of these particles as well as their reactivity toward stratospheric ozone. Results will have direct implications on the ability to predict climate and changes in the ozone layer that are driven by intense wildfires.Smoke from wildfires in Australia have reached the stratosphere where the effect of associated brown and black carbon containing particles is unknown. To better understand their in-situ radiative effect and chemical reactivity, the PI team proposes to deploy balloon flights from Lauder, New Zealand, and San Juan, Costa Rica, that are equipped with particle sizing and counting instruments as well as filter sampling devices. Filters and specific substrates will be analyzed off-line with scanning and transmission electron microscopy (SEM/TEM) to determine morphology and obtain some chemical information including the black carbon content. Results from this work will advance knowledge of the extent of smoke entrainment into the stratosphere and associated effects on the radiative budget and ozone layer. In addition, the project may inform other ongoing/future projects including the study of polar stratospheric clouds and meteoric smoke in the winter time polar vortex, and a comparison of in-situ smoke measurements with satellite observations.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.