MRI: Development--An Aerosol and Cloud Analysis System for the Caribbean

该项目旨在组装一个永久入口和仪器设备，以研究暖云（即顶部温度高于零摄氏度的云）的微物理特性，以及它们如何在一个复杂的过程中演变，其中包括形成液滴的气溶胶颗粒。在波多黎各的皮科埃斯特（PE）等山顶定期形成的云为研究云与气溶胶之间的相互作用提供了机会，特别是在那些已知气溶胶性质的地方。由于其独特的亚热带岛屿位置，许多国际研究小组在过去的测量项目中使用了PE站点。气溶胶和云分析系统（ACAS）将有一个开放和灵活的架构，可以容纳额外的传感器，这些传感器要么是由波多黎各-里奥彼德拉斯大学（uprp）获得或开发的，要么是由客座研究机构提供的。该仪器将常年在体育场地永久运行，用于正在进行的研究和教育推广。ACAS及其测量相关的云和气溶胶研究提供了一个全面的培训基础，提供了广泛的教育机会，涉及了解测量技术，其局限性和不确定性，气溶胶和云的基本化学和物理以及基础气象学。未被充分代表的学生群体将与科学家和最先进的仪器进行互动，并获得独特的研究机会。项目成果将用于各种教育水平的学生和社区的教材中。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，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。

The project seeks to assemble a permanent inlet and instrumented facility for studying the microphysical properties of warm clouds, i.e. clouds whose tops are at temperatures greater than zero degrees Celsius, and how they evolve in a complex process involving the aerosol particles on which droplets form. Clouds that form regularly at mountaintops such as the Pico Este (PE) in Puerto Rico provide the opportunity to study the interaction between clouds and aerosols, especially at those locations where the properties of the aerosols are well known. The PE site has been used by a number of international research groups in past measurement programs because of its unique, sub-tropical island location. The Aerosol and Cloud Analysis System (ACAS) will have an open and flexible architecture that will accommodate additional sensors that are either acquired or developed by the University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras (UPRRP), or that are provided by guest research organizations. This instrument will remain permanently operational at the PE site year-round for ongoing research and educational outreach. The ACAS and the cloud and aerosol research associated with its measurements, provides a comprehensive training ground for a broad range of educational opportunities related to understanding the measurement techniques, their limitations and uncertainties, fundamental aerosol and cloud chemistry and physics, and basic meteorology. Underrepresented student groups will interact with scientists and state-of-the-art instrumentation and be exposed to unique research opportunities. Project results will be used in educational materials for students and communities over a range of educational levels.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.