Collaborative Research: Multiparametric Analyses of Volcanic Aerosols and the Effects on Lightning Generation

该项目将确定爆炸性喷发和水凝物（冰、水、冰雹等）产生的火山灰颗粒的作用。集中于闪电的产生。地球观测、实验室测量和模型模拟将用于跟踪这些粒子在喷发开始时的大小和丰度，以及它们在大气中的整个运输过程，以确定随着时间的推移与闪电特征的关系。该项目将确定地球静止业务环境卫星系列上的地球静止闪电绘图仪的价值（GOES-16和-17），用于跟踪和描述火山爆发期间的火山闪电，因为尽管该工具能够持续监测西半球的许多活火山，但很少使用，该项目将启动两所不同的亚拉巴马大学的几名理科学生的职业生涯，并帮助火山观测站的科学家使用GOES卫星数据更好地评估火山爆发后的火山危险。此外，项目成果将成为塔斯卡卢萨亚拉巴马自然历史博物馆闪电展览的一部分，该展览解释了闪电对材料的影响。博物馆工作人员将开发以闪电为重点的小学教材，并将在其网站上免费分发这些材料。在使用GLM对火山闪电进行的第一次分析中，在2018年危地马拉火山爆发期间发现了闪电跳跃。自2018年富埃戈火山喷发以来，其他几座火山也发生了喷发，并在GOES视野内产生了闪电。为了充分诊断火山排放对气溶胶云微物理过程的影响，因此，闪电的产生，观测，实验室测量和模型结果将被合成，使用以下相互关联的步骤。1)识别在GOES视野内产生闪电的爆炸性喷发。2)获取和分析卫星检索的火山灰羽流特征（即，灰/水凝物浓度、粒度）与闪电发生一致。3)分析GLM和地面传感器的闪电发生情况，以获得喷发时间尺度上闪电活动的最完整图像和具体特征（即，大小、能量、电流）。4)确定第二步和第三步收集的数据之间是否存在可量化的关系。5)在实验室测量灰样的性质，以确认/反驳卫星检索，并计算输入模型的变量。6)进行、修订和测试各种模型模拟，以约束产生观测数据的爆炸性喷发源参数。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This project will determine the role of volcanic ash particles from explosive eruptions and hydrometeor (ice, water, hail, etc.) concentrations on lightning generation. Earth observations, laboratory measurements, and model simulations will be used to track the size and abundance of these particles at the onset of eruption and throughout their transport in the atmosphere to identify relationships with lightning characteristics over time. This project will determine the value of the Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM), onboard the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite series (GOES-16 and -17), for tracking and characterizing volcanic lightning during eruptions, as this tool has been seldom used despite its ability to continuously monitor numerous active volcanoes in the Western Hemisphere, including the U.S.A. This project will launch the careers of several science students at two different Alabama universities and aid scientists at volcano observatories in using GOES satellite data to better assess volcanic hazards following eruptions. Additionally, project results will become part of the lightning exhibit at the Alabama Museum of Natural History in Tuscaloosa, which explains the effects of lightning on materials. Museum staff will develop grade school teaching materials focused on lightning and will freely distribute these materials on their website. In the first analysis of volcanic lightning using the GLM, lightning jumps were identified during the 2018 explosive eruption of Volcan Fuego in Guatemala. Since the 2018 eruption of Fuego, several other volcanoes have erupted and produced lightning within the GOES field of view. To fully diagnose the impact of volcanic emissions on aerosol-cloud microphysical processes and consequently, lightning production, observations, laboratory measurements, and model results will be synthesized, using the following inter-related steps. 1) Identify explosive eruptions that produce lightning within the GOES field of view. 2) Acquire and analyze satellite retrievals of ash plume characteristics (i.e., ash/hydrometeor concentration, grain size) coincident with lightning occurrence. 3) Analyze lightning occurrence from both GLM and ground-based sensors to obtain the most complete picture of lightning activity over the timescale of eruption and specific characteristics (i.e., size, energy, current) of discharge events. 4) Determine if a quantifiable relationship exists between data collected during the second and third steps. 5) Measure ash sample properties in the laboratory to confirm/refute satellite retrievals and calculate variables for input into models. 6) Conduct, revise, and test various model simulations to constrain the explosive eruption source parameters that produce the observed data.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.