American Association for Aerosol Research - Abstract Submission

AAAR 39th Annual Conference
October 18 - October 22, 2021

Virtual Conference

Abstract View


Characterization of Aerosol Vertical Profiles over the Western North Atlantic Ocean during the North Atlantic Aerosols and Marine Ecosystems Study (NAAMES)

FRANCESCA GALLO, Kevin Sanchez, Bruce Anderson, Matthew Brown, Ewan Crosbie, Carolyn Jordan, Claire Robinson, Taylor Shingler, Michael Shook, Kenneth Thornhill, Elizabeth Wiggins, Edward Winstead, Luke Ziemba, Richard Moore, NASA Langley

     Abstract Number: 210
     Working Group: Remote and Regional Atmospheric Aerosol

Abstract
Marine regions dominated by pristine atmospheric conditions and low-lying clouds, are the most susceptible to perturbations in aerosol properties and represent the highest source of uncertainty in global climate models. One major contribution to this uncertainty stems from the poor understanding of aerosol-cloud interactions under natural conditions and during periods when the marine boundary layer aerosol is impacted by particles of continental origins. With the objective of improving the understanding of marine aerosol-cloud-climate interactions in marine environment, between 2015 and 2018, NASA conducted the North Atlantic Aerosols and Marine Ecosystems Study (NAAMES) field campaigns in the Western North Atlantic. The NAAMES C-130 research aircraft flew during three NAAMES field campaigns (NAAMES-1 November 2015, NAAMES-2 May 2016, and NAAMES-3 September 2017) providing in-situ samplings of aerosol, trace gases, clouds and meteorological parameters under different seasonal regimes. The standard flight pattern included vertical spirals where the C-130 descended from high altitude to low-latitude (and vice versa) and collected aerosol and clouds measurements as a function of altitude. In this study, we examine the datasets collected from 38 spirals during the three NAAMES field campaigns under varying conditions, and we present a comprehensive characterization of the vertical profiles of aerosol properties. Summary statistics of the remote marine atmosphere prevalence of new particle formation and the competing influences of long-range transport versus local boundary layer aerosols will be discussed.