Collaborative Research: Interactions and Feedbacks between Storms and Bioaerosols

该项目将研究地球表面和大气之间的生物物质交换，以及这些物质如何影响云和降水。生物气溶胶是空气中的生物颗粒，如花粉、真菌孢子和土壤细菌。风和雷暴上升气流将生物物质从地表抛起，在那里它们可能成为云滴和冰晶形成的核心。然后，这些物质通过降水、下沉气流或重力沉降沉积回地表。尽管有这么大的图景，但人们对交换的规模和对云计算过程的影响仍然知之甚少。研究小组将使用无人机、气球、仪器塔和地面仪器进行两次实地实验，并结合数值模拟来解决一系列与生物气溶胶相关的研究问题。结果将是天气和气候模型的改进，并对人类健康目的的过敏原运输产生新的见解。大量学生和早期职业研究人员将参与该项目，确保培养下一代科学家。研究小组将研究地球表面和大气之间的生物气溶胶通量，以及生物气溶胶与风暴微物理、动力学和降水之间的反馈。该项目的目标是定量研究生物气溶胶的通量、浓度和特性，特别是针对对流风暴上升气流、风暴产生的冷池和静止条件下的完整花粉、亚花粉颗粒、真菌孢子和细菌。计划进行两次实地活动，在国家生态观测网络（NEON）站点进行通量塔测量，地面实验室仪器和基于无人机的采样。测量将包括荧光和总颗粒分布、通量、颗粒表征、化学分析和DNA测序等。数值模拟将利用区域大气模拟系统（RAMS）。预计研究结果如下：1)综合气溶胶数据集，包括已确定物种的总气溶胶和生物气溶胶子类别的大小分布、通量和CCN/INP数据；2)确定不同气象条件下大气中细菌、真菌（孢子和菌丝）和花粉的垂直分布；3)在广泛使用的开源研究模型中开发和实施表面生物气溶胶放样参数化。发展生物气溶胶INP参数化，该参数化可以很容易地应用于广泛的数值模式，以及评估生物气溶胶和风暴之间的反馈及其对气候反馈的影响。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。

This project will examine the exchange of biological material between the Earth’s surface and atmosphere, and how this material may impact clouds and precipitation. Bioaerosols are airborne biological particles, such as pollen, fungal spores, and soil bacteria. Winds and thunderstorm updrafts loft biological material from the surface where they may serve as nuclei for the development of cloud droplets and ice crystals. The materials are then deposited back to the surface through precipitation, downdrafts, or gravitational settling. Despite this big picture view, the magnitude of exchange and the impact on cloud processes are still poorly understood. The research team will perform two field experiments using drones, balloons, instrumented towers, and surface instrumentation, combined with numerical modeling, to address a set of research questions related to bioaerosols. The result will be an improvement in weather and climate models and generation of new insight into the transport of allergens for human health purposes. A large set of students and early career researchers will be involved in the project, ensuring the training of the next generation of scientists.The research team will study the fluxes of bioaerosols between the Earth’s surface and atmosphere and feedbacks between bioaerosols and storm microphysics, dynamics, and precipitation. The project objective is to quantitatively study the fluxes, concentrations, and identities of bioaerosols, specifically targeting intact pollen, sub-pollen particles, fungal spores and bacteria during convective storm updrafts, storm-generated cold pools, and quiescent conditions. Two field campaigns are planned, with flux tower measurements at National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) sites, ground lab instrumentation, and drone-based sampling. Measurements will include fluorescent and total particle distributions, fluxes, particle characterization, chemical analysis and DNA sequencing, among others. Numerical modeling will make use of the Regional Atmospheric Modeling System (RAMS). Projected outcomes from the research are: 1) a comprehensive data set of aerosol data, including size distribution, flux and CCN/INP data for both total aerosol and bioaerosol subcategories for identified species, 2) determination of the vertical distribution of bacteria, fungi (spores and mycelia), and pollen in the atmosphere under varying meteorological conditions, and 3) development and implementation of a surface bioaerosol lofting parameterization in a widely-used open-source research model, development of a bioaerosol INP parameterization that can be readily implemented into wide range of numerical models, and an assessment of feedbacks between bioaerosols and storms and their implications for climate feedbacks.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.