CHEMPUFF · Atmospheric surfactants Chemistry: imProving the predictions of cloUd Formation and Features (CHEMPUFF)
Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
- Duration
- 2018-04-09 → 2020-04-08
- EU contribution
- €185,076
- Participants
- 1
- Scheme
- MSCA-IF-EF-ST
Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.
Results in brief
Atmospheric surfactants Chemistry: imProving the predictions of cloUd Formation and Features (CHEMPUFF)
As we know surface tension plays a significant role in the activation process (particles to the droplet growth). Most of the work considered the surface tension of water 72.8 mN/m in Kohler equation, which is not the actual surface tension of deliquesced multicomponent particles/CCN in the atmosphere, in this way questionable. In Earth's atmosphere, cloud droplets are formed solely by the condensation of water onto aerosol particles suspended in the atmosphere, but these processes are still not well implicit. The Kohler equation is unanimously applied to explain these processes and envisages that surfactants or, surface-reducing compounds, in fine (sub-micron) particles should augment their transformation into a cloud droplet, thus act an important role in cloud droplet numbers and other cloud properties in the atmosphere. Yet for decades this role has been strongly challenged. One difficulty in this debate was for a long time the lack of information on the surfactants present in atmospheric aerosols and their properties.
Data: CORDIS, © European Union
Project objective
Predicting the formation and properties of clouds the atmosphere still represents a major challenge today and a main source of uncertainties in weather forecasting, hydrology, and climate prediction. Some fundamental aspects of these processes are still poorly understood, such as the role of the surface-active compounds (or surfactants) and their chemistry in the droplet nuclei, predicted by theory 80 years ago but elusive to observations until recently. The objective of CHEMPUFF is to complete the understanding of these compounds and their role on cloud formation and climate by - simultaneously investigating aerosol surfactants and cloud events in different regions (mid-latitude continental, Coastal, and Boreal),- using the results, together with satellite data, to make the first evaluation of the impact of surfactants on the radiative forcing of clouds on climate, at regional scale, then at global scale in collaboration with global modelers,- using the field results to characterize the links between aerosol surfactants and the biosphere (microorganisms, vegetation), and investigate the existence of a vegetation/biosurfactant/cloud/climate feedback in collaboration with global modelers.The Researcher is a recent PhD graduate from India, who has already demonstrated exceptional talents and scientific excellence. He will be integrated to the Host group at CNRS, France, which has led the main advances on the topic of surfactants and clouds in recent years. In addition to learning unique knowledge and techniques from this group, CHEMPUFF will open the Researcher’s professional network to Europe, thus increase his career prospects.
Original text from CORDIS.
Participants
- CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE CNRS · ParisCoordinatorFrance
Links
Data: CORDIS, © European Union