Aerosol transport models are highly underdetermined and have difficulty respect to global source and sink functions, entrainment and evolution phenomenology. In particular, large uncertainties exist with regards to aerosol particle vertical distribution. This is especially evident in the modeling of dust where the deposition of Saharan dust into the Atlantic Ocean, the interaction of dust with cloud microphysics, and the suppressing effects of the Saharan Air Layer (SAL) on tropical disturbances, are all highly dependent on the correct dust vertical profile. Indeed, recent field campaigns have shown that aerosol transport models cannot reproduce the vertical profile of dust throughout most of the world. The CALIPSO and CloudSat satellites will provide the data required to study these processes and reduce the uncertainties, both through direct use of the data and through the assimilation of the data for aerosol modeling. The objective of this project is to understand the transport phenomenology of significant dust outbreaks and in particular to identify those processes that control dust vertical distribution. Once constrained we will apply our work to improve our understanding of dust lifecycles on regional to intercontinental scales. This will help quantify the impact of dust on iron fertilization, clouds, radiative forcing, and air quality.Aerosol transport models are highly underdetermined and have difficulty respect to global source and sink functions, entrainment and evolution phenomenology. In particular, large uncertainties exist with regards to aerosol particle vertical distribution. This is especially evident in the modeling of dust where the deposition of Saharan dust into the Atlantic Ocean, the interaction of dust with cloud microphysics, and the suppressing effects of the Saharan Air Layer (SAL) on tropical disturbances, are all highly dependent on the correct dust vertical profile. Indeed, recent field campaigns have shown that aerosol transport models cannot reproduce the vertical profile of dust throughout most of the world. The CALIPSO and CloudSat satellites will provide the data required to study these processes and reduce the uncertainties, both through direct use of the data and through the assimilation of the data for aerosol modeling. The objective of this project is to understand the transport phenomenology of significant dust outbreaks and in particular to identify those processes that control dust vertical distribution. Once constrained we will apply our work to improve our understanding of dust lifecycles on regional to intercontinental scales. This will help quantify the impact of dust on iron fertilization, clouds, radiative forcing, and air quality.
However, the quantitative utilization of space-based lidar systems for modeling studies is expected to be difficult. In order to meet our scientific goals new data assimilation methods need to be developed including research on the proper assimilation of lidar data into models, determining CALIPSO spatial error covariance, conducting simultaneous MODIS/CALIPSO evaluation and determining the sphere of influence. Dust is the most logical species for this groundbreaking work.
To meet our scientific goals and fully exploit CALIPSO�s potential we will fuse its products with other sensors including CloudSat, MODIS/Aqua, MODIS Terra with CERES, and the ground based AERONET and MPL networks. The manpower and computing requirements for such an ambitious study are far outside the means of this particular ROSES call. In response, we will perform this research jointly with a number of Office of Naval Research, NRL, and NASA programs.
