CAREER: A Comprehensive Investigation into Cloud-Aerosol Interactions Using Satellite, Aircraft and Model Data

University Of Hawaii, Honolulu

Investigators

Abstract

This CAREER project merges state-of-the art research in the fields of cloud physics, aerosol science and climate change with novel instructional tools, community education and outreach, and improvement of undergraduate and graduate education initiatives in meteorology. Insufficient knowledge of aerosol effects on clouds and precipitation (via cloud modification) causes a large uncertainty in quantification of the overall climatic effects of aerosols and results in poor predictions on global climate models. These needs will be addressed through the analysis of aerosol-cloud interactions via three innovative research themes: (i) Remote sensing studies on the impact of aerosols on clouds and precipitation via the direct, indirect and semi-direct effects using A-Train Satellite data sets; (ii) Observational studies on mixing processes with investigations into aerosol-cloud interactions based on cloud size, lifetime and aerosol type and surface characteristics; and (iii) Model Evaluation of cloud-aerosol interactions using collocated A-Train Satellite observations to identify inconsistencies between observations and global climate models to guide future development and improvement in global climate models. By utilizing three distinctly different data types this project allows for the analysis of aerosol-cloud interactions on a variety of spatial (individual clouds to global scale) and temporal scales (micro-seconds in cloud to yearly means). The variety of platforms used for this study will also provide graduate student researchers with an exceptionally broad background and varied skill set. The research described above is closely intertwined with the education goals of this project. State-of-the-art research on clouds, aerosols and climate will be integrated into undergraduate courses to increase the overall scientific literacy of a "hot" media topic. The adoption of group class activities utilizing multi-media teaching techniques (i.e. YouTube and Podcasts) will encourage students to identify connections between the "real world" current weather events and climate issues with course material. Additionally, an innovative undergraduate-graduate student mentoring program will guide undergraduates while simultaneously developing supervising and mentoring skills in graduate students as they embark on the research outlined above. The research program will also foster collaborations between the University of Hawaii and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory by providing graduate and undergraduate students the opportunity to intern and work with elite scientists at a renowned research facility. To broadly impact the community the PI will organize an annual Expanding Your Horizon (EYH) conference in Hawaii (the first for that state). The PI will recruit local Hawaiian women scientists and industry leaders with the goal of educating and attracting young women to the STEM fields. As part of the EYH conference the PI will sponsor hands-on workshops using data collected through the described research efforts.