Stratosphere and Troposphere Aerosol Exposure Studies (STAES)

ANDRES SANCHEZ, Sandia National Laboratories

     Abstract Number: 661
     Working Group: Aerosols, Clouds and Climate

Abstract
Aerosol-climate interactions account for one of the larger uncertainties in traditional climate models. Aerosols modify the Earth's radiative budget, through scattering and absorption or by influencing the size and lifetime of clouds. The magnitude of these effects depends on the size and chemical nature of the aerosol particles properties that vary with emission location and the time spent interacting with the atmosphere. Thus, aerosol impacts on climate are difficult to quantify, as they are global-scale manifestations of microscale processes that are entangled with meteorological variability.

This project is developing a unique capability utilizing a novel transport vessel to expose aerosol materials to Earth’s atmosphere at various altitudes and subsequently apply nanoscale surface science to characterize the effects. This effort is aimed at gaining a fundamental mechanistic understanding of how reactive atmospheric species alter the surface structure and chemistry of airborne aerosols. The project will benchmark how atmospheric processing of aerosols effects their climate-forcing mechanisms and provide critical experimentation on methods of climate intervention.

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