Organic Composition of Fogs and Clouds

Colorado State University, Fort Collins CO

Investigators

Abstract

This project is developing methods for studying the organic composition of clouds and fogs and the efficiency with which clouds and fogs scavenge carbonaceous aerosol particles. The project includes a laboratory development effort to improve capabilities for measuring concentrations of the diverse organic species suspected to be present in cloud and fog drops and a series of field experiments to collect samples suitable for application of the developed suite of organic analytical techniques. The field campaigns are being used to collect samples of cloud/fog types that are seasonally important in three distinct environments: winter radiation fogs in the California's Central Valley, spring stratus clouds intercepting the coastal hills of Southern California, and summer orographic clouds intercepting the western slope of the Rocky Mountains.