80NSSC19K0442

Motivation: The latest IPCC report and recent decadal survey state that the largest uncertainty in estimating global anthropogenic radiative forcing is associated with the interactions of aerosol particles with clouds. This large uncertainty stems from the variability of cloud systems and the multiple feedbacks that affect and hamper scientists' efforts to ascribe changes in cloud properties to aerosol perturbations.

While past campaigns made discoveries that raised new questions, our proposed Aerosol Cloud Meteorology Interactions over the Western Atlantic Experiment (ACTIVATE) project aims to collect sufficient statistics to provide the answers.

Objectives: Because marine boundary layer clouds play a critical role in the planet's energy balance, ACTIVATE focuses on these clouds that span the continuum from stratiform to cumulus. Our five-year project (1/2019-12/2023) will address three science objectives (and baseline and threshold science objectives are identical):

A) Quantify relationships between aerosol number concentration (NA), cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) concentration, and cloud drop number concentration (ND), and reduce uncertainty in model parameterizations of cloud droplet activation.
B) Improve process-level understanding and model representation of factors that govern cloud micro/macro-physical properties and how they couple with cloud effects on aerosol.
C) Assess advanced remote sensing capabilities for retrieving aerosol and cloud properties related to aerosol-cloud interactions.

Deliverables:
1) Improved understanding and model representations of NA-CCN-ND relationships and the relationships between micro/macro-physical properties.
2) A unique dataset for international model intercomparison and process-based studies.
3) An evaluation of current remote sensing retrievals and prototypes for future satellite missions.
4) The development of improved satellite-based ND retrievals and CCN proxies.

NASA Relevance: ACTIVATE addresses four NASA Earth Science focus areas: Atmospheric Composition, Water & Energy Cycle, Climate Variability & Change, and Weather. Our measurements complement, augment, and validate aerosol and cloud retrievals from existing and planned satellite missions. We will also assess existing and demonstrate new lidar and polarimeter remote sensing retrievals of aerosols and clouds, which are directly relevant to the Decadal Survey recommendation for a designated mission to study aerosols and clouds.

Mission Overview and Platforms: ACTIVATE targets the western North Atlantic Ocean with a broad range of aerosol and meteorological conditions that can be readily sampled by the two complementary aircraft based at the nearby NASA Langley Research Center: the NASA HU-25 Falcon and B-200 King Air. The HU-25 acquires in situ measurements below, in, and above clouds. The B-200 flies above clouds to remotely measure aerosols and clouds and to deploy dropsondes to measure the atmospheric state.

Instruments and Models: All instruments required for ACTIVATE science objectives are mature (TRL 9). These advanced active and passive remote sensing and in situ instruments provide a low-risk, high-impact approach for both obtaining critical atmospheric measurements to relate aerosols, clouds, and meteorology, and improving models. ACTIVATE includes a suite of multi-scale models and a diverse science analysis and modeling team with broad expertise in integrating airborne and satellite data to advance our knowledge of aerosol-cloud-meteorology interactions and to improve their treatments in weather and climate models.

Baseline and Threshold Mission: The baseline mission includes ~50 joint airplane missions per year in years 2-4 (~600 hours and ~150 flights over three years for each airplane). The threshold mission reduces the number of joint flights to ~120.

University Of Arizona

MOTIVATION: THE LATEST IPCC REPORT AND RECENT DECADAL SURVEY STATE THAT THE LARGEST UNCERTAINTY IN ESTIMATING GLOBAL ANTHROPOGENIC RADIATIVE FORCING IS ASSOCIATED WITH THE INTERACTIONS OF AEROSOL PARTICLES WITH CLOUDS. THIS LARGE UNCERTAINTY STEMS FROM THE VARIABILITY OF CLOUD SYSTEMS AND THE MULTIPLE FEEDBACKS THAT AFFECT AND HAMPER SCIENTISTS EFFORTS TO ASCRIBE CHANGES IN CLOUD PROPERTIES TO AEROSOL PERTURBATIONS. WHILE PAST CAMPAIGNS MADE DISCOVERIES THAT RAISED NEW QUESTIONS OUR PROPOSED AEROSOL CLOUD METEOROLOGY INTERACTIONS OVER THE WESTERN ATLANTIC EXPERIMENT (ACTIVATE) PROJECT AIMS TO COLLECT SUFFICIENT STATISTICS TO PROVIDE THE ANSWERS.OBJECTIVES: BECAUSE MARINE BOUNDARY LAYER CLOUDS PLAY A CRITICAL ROLE IN THE PLANET S ENERGY BALANCE ACTIVATE FOCUSES ON THESE CLOUDSTHAT SPAN THE CONTINUUM FROM STRATIFORM TO CUMULUS. OUR FIVE-YEAR PROJECT (1/2019-12/2023) WILL ADDRESS THREE SCIENCE OBJECTIVES (AND BASELINE AND THRESHOLD SCIENCE OBJECTIVES ARE IDENTICAL): A) QUANTIFY RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN AEROSOL NUMBER CONCENTRATION (NA) CLOUD CONDENSATION NUCLEI (CCN) CONCENTRATION AND CLOUD DROP NUMBER CONCENTRATION (ND) AND REDUCE UNCERTAINTY IN MODEL PARAMETERIZATIONS OF CLOUD DROPLET ACTIVATION; B) IMPROVE PROCESS-LEVEL UNDERSTANDING AND MODEL REPRESENTATION OF FACTORS THAT GOVERN CLOUD MICRO/MACRO-PHYSICAL PROPERTIES AND HOW THEY COUPLE WITH CLOUD EFFECTS ON AEROSOL; AND C) ASSESS ADVANCED REMOTE SENSING CAPABILITIES FORRETRIEVING AEROSOL AND CLOUD PROPERTIES RELATED TO AEROSOL-CLOUD INTERACTIONS. DELIVERABLES: 1) IMPROVED UNDERSTANDING AND MODELREPRESENTATIONS OF NA-CCN-ND RELATIONSHIPS AND THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN MICRO/ MACRO-PHYSICAL PROPERTIES; 2) A UNIQUE DATASET FORINTERNATIONAL MODEL INTERCOMPARISON AND PROCESS-BASED STUDIES; 3) AN EVALUATION OF CURRENT REMOTE SENSING RETRIEVALS AND PROTOTYPESFOR FUTURE SATELLITE MISSIONS; AND 4) THE DEVELOPMENT OF IMPROVED SATELLITE-BASED ND RETRIEVALS AND CCN PROXIES. NASA RELEVANCE:ACTIVATE ADDRESSES FOUR NASA EARTH SCIENCE FOCUS AREAS: ATMOSPHERIC COMPOSITION WATER & ENERGY CYCLE CLIMATE VARIABILITY & CHANGE AND WEATHER . OUR MEASUREMENTS COMPLEMENT AUGMENT AND VALIDATE AEROSOL AND CLOUD RETRIEVALS FROM EXISTING AND PLANNED SATELLITE MISSIONS. WE WILL ALSO ASSESS EXISTING AND DEMONSTRATE NEW LIDAR AND POLARIMETER REMOTE SENSING RETRIEVALS OF AEROSOLS AND CLOUDS WHICH ARE DIRECTLY RELEVANT TO THE DECADAL SURVEY RECOMMENDATION FOR A DESIGNATED MISSION TO STUDY AEROSOLS AND CLOUDS. MISSION OVERVIEW AND PLATFORMS: ACTIVATE TARGETS THE WESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN WITH A BROAD RANGE OF AEROSOL AND METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS THAT CAN BE READILY SAMPLED BY THE TWO COMPLEMENTARY AIRCRAFT BASED AT THE NEARBY NASA LANGLEY RESEARCH CENTER: THE NASA HU-25FALCON AND B-200 KING AIR. THE HU-25 ACQUIRES IN SITU MEASUREMENTS BELOW IN AND ABOVE CLOUDS. THE B-200 FLIES ABOVE CLOUDS TO REMOTELY MEASURE AEROSOLS AND CLOUDS AND TO DEPLOY DROPSONDES TO MEASURE THE ATMOSPHERIC STATE. INSTRUMENTS AND MODELS: ALL INSTRUMENTS REQUIRED FOR ACTIVATE SCIENCE OBJECTIVES ARE MATURE (TRL 9); THESE ADVANCED ACTIVE AND PASSIVE REMOTE SENSING AND IN SITU INSTRUMENTS PROVIDE A LOW-RISK HIGH-IMPACT APPROACH FOR BOTH OBTAINING CRITICAL ATMOSPHERIC MEASUREMENTS TO RELATE AEROSOLS CLOUDS ANDMETEOROLOGY AND IMPROVING MODELS. ACTIVATE INCLUDES A SUITE OF MULTI-SCALE MODELS AND A DIVERSE SCIENCE ANALYSIS AND MODELING TEAMWITH BROAD EXPERTISE IN INTEGRATING AIRBORNE AND SATELLITE DATA TO ADVANCE OUR KNOWLEDGE OF AEROSOL-CLOUD-METEOROLOGY INTERACTIONSAND TO IMPROVE THEIR TREATMENTS IN WEATHER AND CLIMATE MODELS. BASELINE AND THRESHOLD MISSION: THE BASELINE MISSION INCLUDES ~50JOINT AIRPLANE MISSIONS PER YEAR IN YEARS 2-4 (~600 HOURS AND ~150 FLIGHTS OVER THREE YEARS FOR EACH AIRPLANE). THE THRESHOLD MISSION REDUCES THE NUMBER OF JOINT FLIGHTS TO ~120.

43.001 - Science

Shared Services Center (NSSC) [NASA]

Tucson, Arizona 85719-4824 United States

Single Zip Code

ROSES 2017: Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Science (NNH17ZDA001N)

Amendment Since initial award the End Date has been extended from 02/04/24 to 02/04/26 and the total obligations have increased 528% from $683,337 to $4,291,659.