AGS-PRF: Aerosols in Shallow Tropical Convection: Impact on Cloud Microphysics and Precipitation

大气气溶胶是悬浮在空气中的非常小的颗粒。 许多是由地球陆地和海洋表面的灰尘，烟雾或海盐组成，而其他则是通过大气中的化学反应形成的。 气溶胶可能在形成云和降水中发挥作用，但气溶胶与其他机制的相对重要性尚不清楚。 气溶胶强迫对气候系统的影响仍然是大气科学界最大的未知数之一。 这个博士后研究奖学金将使早期职业研究人员有机会研究气溶胶在热带对流和降水中的作用。 该项目将是一项观测和理论结合的工作，分析研究飞机数据，并利用先进的数值模型进行研究。 更好地了解气溶胶如何影响云和降水将对理解天气和气候系统产生重大影响，从而更好地进行预测。 DOMEX（Dominica Experiment）实地观测的证据显示，气溶胶和云量浓度、云滴大小和地面降水量之间存在着密切的关系。这种关系将进一步探讨使用飞机观测从过去和计划的领域运动沿着与数值模型模拟。该项目将作为两项独立但密切相关的研究的组合进行。第一种方法是大量现场飞机观测的批量统计方法。第二是利用天气研究和预报模式对云和降水形成的微物理过程和速率进行理论研究。研究人员将与WRF模型中使用的主要微物理方案之一的作者密切合作。

Atmospheric aerosols are very small particles that are suspended in the air. Many are comprised of dust, smoke or sea salt from the Earth's land and ocean surfaces, while others are formed through chemical reactions in the atmosphere. Aerosols likely play a role in forming clouds and precipitation, but the relative importance of aerosols versus other mechanisms is unclear. The impact of aerosol forcing on the climate system remains one of the largest unknowns in the atmospheric science community. This Postdoctoral Research Fellowship will allow an early-career researcher the opportunity to study the role of aerosols in shallow tropical convection and precipitation. The project will be a combined observational and theoretical exercise, with analysis of research aircraft data and studies making use of an advanced numerical model. Better knowledge of how aerosols affect clouds and precipitation would have a significant impact on understanding of the weather and climate system, leading to better forecasts. The researcher also plans to conduct mentoring and outreach, thereby enhancing public understanding of science.Observational evidence from the DOMEX (Dominica Experiment) field campaign shows a strong relationship between aerosol and cloud number concentration, cloud droplet size, and surface precipitation amount. This relationship will be further explored using aircraft observations from past and planned field campaigns along with numerical model simulations. The project will be carried out as a combination of two separate but closely related studies. The first is a bulk statistical approach with a large number of in-situ aircraft observations. The second is a theoretical study on microphysical processes and rates of cloud and precipitation formation using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model. The researcher will work in close collaboration with the author of one of the main microphysical schemes used in the WRF model.