ONFIRE (ObservatioNs of Fire's Impact on the southeast atlantic REgion)

University Of Miami, Coral Gables FL

Investigators

Abstract

Southern Africa is the world's largest emitter of biomass burning aerosols. Their westward transport over the remote southeast Atlantic ocean co-locates some of the largest planetary aerosol loadings with the least examined of the Earth's major stratocumulus decks. While much of the aerosol resides above the boundary layer cloud, free-tropospheric subsidence and marine boundary layer deepening as sea surface temperatures warm imply that absorbing aerosol can also be entrained into the boundary layer. Model representations of the solar-absorbing aerosol cloud- atmosphere-ocean system must consider not only the direct radiative effect, but also radiative changes arising from cloud adjustments to the atmospheric warming and from aerosol cloud microphysical interactions. ONFIRE (ObservatioNs of Fire's Impact on the southeast atlantic REgion) is a field campaign; the intensive five-week deployment of facilities in the southeast Atlantic is scheduled for September 2017. A coordinated set of hypotheses that improve understanding of biomass burning aerosol composition and absorption, their relationship to cloud-top entrainment, and impact on cloud microphysics, are being examined. The award that is being funded is considered a Scientific Planning Overview document and serves as the scientific basis for the campaign. Individual science proposals will be reviewed separately.