Research Projects

Particles in the atmosphere impact human health and climate, the former by inhalation, and the latter primarily by modifying radiative transfer in the atmosphere. Human health impacts occur in the lowest layers of the atmosphere, and are mediated by particle concentration, chemical composition, and size distribution. Climate effects are also modulated by particle concentration, chemical composition, and size distribution, but radiation effects also are driven by dry air light scattering by particles, the interaction between clouds and particles (“cloud brightening”), and by light absorption by particles. Unlike health effects, which are similar wherever the particles are inhaled, the location of the particles in the atmospheric column can modify the climate effects. This project will help meet one of the goals of the CalNex program, that of looking at both air quality and climate effects of air pollution over California, by adding measurements of particle properties from an aircraft. This will be the first time that these types of measurements will be made from an aircraft in California. Addition of this project to CalNex will be a significant improvement to efforts to characterize the effects of particles on air quality and climate in California.