ETBC: Aerosol and Precipitation Chemistry and Deposition Rates in the Western Atlantic Trade Winds: The Link to Sources, Transport, and Deposition Processes - II

University Of Miami, Coral Gables FL

Investigators

Abstract

This project will characterize aerosol concentrations and wet and dry deposition processes at Barbados and Miami, with foci on African dust and related constituents and on anthropogenic species. Observations will be based on a two-year daily sampling protocol on Barbados and at Miami supplemented by intensive field campaigns, including collaborative aircraft-based studies of aerosols and clouds by German scientists, to be carried out during various seasonal dust and pollution transport regimes. A major objective is to link results to larger-scale processes. To this end, on-site ground-based aerosol remote sensors (lidar and optical depth) will be used to link the surface-based measurements to the overlying atmosphere and also satellite products in order to generalize to larger scales. The results will lead to a better understanding of the processes controlling the transport and deposition of African dust and associated substances over the tropical Atlantic and to improved estimates of the impact of deposition on marine biogeochemistry in this region. The integrated program (with remote sensing and modeling) will lead to a better characterization of large-scale dust transport/removal processes and a more quantitative modeling of them, including the linkage to source processes on an event-to-event basis. This, in turn, will lead to an improved understanding of the impact of atmospheric transport on biogeochemical processes in the global ocean and to the possible impact of climate change on dust mobilization and transport (and, hence, on ocean biogeochemistry and the carbon cycle). Also of concern is the possible role of anthropogenic materials transported to the ocean; these could directly affect biogeochemical processes in the ocean and, mixed with dust, the chemical properties of the dust, including the solubility of iron and other metals. A graduate student will be trained through participation in all aspects of the program. The Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology will collaborate in the science activities and manage daily operations of the Barbados site.