Particles in the Upper Troposphere and Lower Stratosphere (PUTLS): Observations of Aerosol Microphysical Properties

MATTHEW BROWN, Luke Ziemba, NASA

     Abstract Number: 452
     Working Group: Instrumentation and Methods

Abstract
Aerosol particles play a critical role in modulating Earth’s radiative balance through direct scattering of visible light and the formation of clouds. While nearly all emissions occur near the Earth’s surface, transport of aerosols and gases into the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (UTLS) leads to secondary production, important heterogeneous chemistry, and increased particle lifetimes that magnify climate effects. Airborne measurements of aerosol microphysical properties are critical for understanding these processes and validating the global models used to predict climate. We provide an overview of the development of an in-situ, autonomous, high-altitude aircraft-based instrument package called PUTLS (Particles in the UTLS) that measures particle size distributions.

As a new capability for the LARGE (Langley Aerosol Research Group) team at NASA Langley Research Center, PUTLS has flown on the NASA WB-57F, DC-8, and P-3 aircraft in a series of campaigns from 2022-2024. Instrument package overview, novel data reduction algorithms, and applications to observations from these flights will be discussed.