Planning visit to Universidade Federal do Parana (UFPR), Brazil

Pennsylvania State Univ University Park, University Park PA

Investigators

Abstract

Abstract Jose D. Fuentes, Pennsylvania State University, OISE 1061712 Planning Visit to Universidade Federal do Paraná (UFPR), Brazil This planning visit will establish joint research activities among investigators from Penn State University (Fuentes, Chameki) and Universidade do Paraná (Dias) in the general area of atmosphere-biosphere interactions. The team will draw from complementary experiences and expertise to develop research plans on the processes that influence spatial and temporal thermodynamic characteristics of the continental atmospheric boundary layer (ABL). Influences of the ABL state on the spatial and temporal distribution of airborne pollutants and their precursors will be considered. Numerical models designed to investigate emission, atmospheric transport and chemical processing of reactive chemical species and bio-aerosols will be indentified and discussed. During the visit, researchers will work together to design instrumented payload units for airborne platforms to investigate the spatial distribution of trace gases in the ABL. The objective is to design sufficiently light gas sensors to be interfaced with onboard data acquisition units. Numerical models that emerge from these data will be tested and validated for different landscapes. This visit will lay the foundation for new research collaborations between US and Brazilian scientists with complementary expertise in the study of atmosphere-biosphere interactions. Processes that control the spatial distribution of gases in the lower atmosphere have immediate implications for predicting air quality. Collaborations between these research groups will create new and unique opportunities to investigate environmental processes with emerging technologies. The PI has extensive mentoring experience and the research program that evolves from this visit is likely to create substantial student involvement. Moreover, the co-PI is a new investigator and he and two graduate students will accompany the team to Brazil.