Highlights will be written for high-level accomplishments and published journal articles of ASR research. Each ASR principal investigator (PI) is expected to submit at least one highlight per fiscal year.
Research Highlights
Recent Highlights
Aerosol-cloud interactions in the eastern North Atlantic
14 May 2024
Ghate, Virendra Prakash
Supported by:
Research area: Aerosol Processes
Water vapor condenses to form cloud droplets on aerosols, small particles or droplets suspended in the air that are commonly called cloud condensation nuclei (CCN). The mechanisms responsible for changes in CCN concentrations over the open oceans are not fully known. The study characterizes drivers of CCN concentrations over the [...]
62°S witnesses the transition of boundary-layer marine CCN and INPs
8 May 2024
McFarquhar, Greg
Supported by:
Research area: Aerosol Properties
Over the pristine Southern Ocean (50°S–68°S, 63°E–150°E), data acquired during the 2017–2018 Measurement of Aerosols, Radiation, and Clouds over the Pristine Southern Ocean (MARCUS) Experiment show that small aerosol particles suspended in the air, particularly those that can act as cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) and ice nucleating particles (INPs), strongly depend [...]
Chemical properties and single-particle mixing state of soot aerosol in Houston during TRACER
1 May 2024
Zhang, Qi
Supported by:
Research area: Aerosol Properties
Our comprehensive measurements of black carbon (BC)-containing aerosols, conducted during the TRACER campaign, provided detailed insights into the composition, behavior, and variability of soot aerosols in Houston. We find that the coating thickness of individual BC particles and their mixing with other species vary significantly, influenced by diverse emission sources [...]
Above-cloud concentrations of cloud condensation nuclei help to sustain some arctic low-level clouds
24 April 2024
Igel, Adele
Supported by:
Research area: Cloud-Aerosol-Precipitation Interactions
We investigated the importance of aerosol particles above cloud top for maintaining low-level clouds in the Arctic.
Are atmospheric models too cold in the mountains? The state of science and insights from SAIL
20 April 2024
Feldman, Daniel
Supported by:
Research area: Atmospheric Thermodynamics and Vertical Structures
We reviewed the peer-reviewed literature, and found that many types of high-resolution atmospheric models produce surface air temperatures that are colder than what is observed in high-altitude complex terrain. We evaluate the possible causes of this bias, and also examine data using three different high-resolution models and data collected by [...]