EAGER: Exploring Aerosol Indirect Effects in a Laboratory Cloud Chamber

气溶胶-云的相互作用是我们对地球天气和气候认识的主要不确定因素。该项目解决了云的微物理特性如何响应和改变气溶胶特性的问题。智力成果：这项工作将在Pi室中进行，这是一个能够长时间（数小时至数天）维持稳定状态云条件的实验室云室。Pi室最近在NSF主要研究仪器计划的支持下开发，这将是第一个利用该设施的重点科学研究项目。在对气溶胶室进行初步表征时，就注意到了研究瞬变云对气溶胶性质突然变化的响应的能力，因此这项工作本质上是探索性的。由于在整个研究过程中保持恒定的热力学云强迫条件，从而能够隔离气溶胶间接影响，因此这项工作具有潜在的变革性。该项目为学生和来访的初中/高中教师提供了一个特殊的机会，以获得大型实验设施的经验。

Aerosol-cloud interactions are a primary uncertainty in our understanding of earth's weather and climate. This project addresses the question of how cloud microphysical properties respond to and alter aerosol properties.Intellectual Merit:The work will be carried out in the Pi Chamber, a laboratory cloud chamber capable of sustaining steady-state cloud conditions for long time periods (hours to days). The Pi Chamber has recently been developed with support from the NSF Major Research Instrumentation program, and this will be the first focused scientific research project utilizing the facility. The ability to study transient cloud responses to sudden changes in aerosol properties was noted during the initial characterization of the chamber, and therefore this work is exploratory in nature.It is potentially transformative because of the unique ability to isolate aerosol indirect effects by maintaining constant thermodynamic cloud forcing conditions throughout the study.Broader Impacts:The project provides a special opportunity for students and visiting middle/high-school teachers to gain experience with a large experimental facility.