Collaborative Research: An in situ Closure Study of Mixed Phase Clouds at Storm Peak

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Clouds are commonly differentiated by the precipitation that reaches the surface, either rain or snow. This means they are often thought of as being liquid water, also called warm clouds, or ice, also called cold clouds. Those clouds that contain liquid water droplets and ice crystals at the same time are called mixed phase clouds. Mixed phase clouds are currently poorly understood because of the complicated mixture. Our lack of understanding of clouds, particularly those that are mixed in phase, limits our ability to understand precipitation, the atmosphere chemistry and climate. This project will determine the particles on which the droplets and ice crystals in mixed phase clouds form by deploying a new inlet and both warm and cold cloud chambers at Storm Peak Laboratory. Storm Peak is a high altitude site located in the Rocky Mountains in north-central Colorado that is among only a handful of sites worldwide that offers scientific laboratories where mixed phase clouds exist for long time periods. Using this new inlet, the research team will carry out two-season long observational studies of droplet and ice crystals within mixed phase clouds. This project will allow a resolution of the question of which atmospheric particles make droplets, which make ice crystals, and which do not effectively make either.A graduate student will work on this project full time, thereby being trained in this important area of atmospheric science. A post-doctoral fellow will also work on this project part-time, increasing their research experience in this area. The collected data will be archived and presented to the atmospheric sciences community. This will include both papers and presentations, with a focus on providing data to help improve models that include precipitation, climate and air quality. Beyond the scientific community, a documentary of the project at Storm Peak will be made in partnership with Science for the Public, a WGBH-Boston television and multimedia production. This will emphasize one of Science for the Public's objective areas, adult science, technology, engineering and math education.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.