CONDENSATION · Aerosol-ClOud iNteractions anD Effects oN atmoSpheric rAdiaTIve fOrciNg
Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
- Duration
- 2019-03-01 → 2021-02-28
- EU contribution
- €158,122
- Participants
- 1
- Scheme
- MSCA-IF-EF-ST
Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.
Results in brief
Aerosol-ClOud iNteractions anD Effects oN atmoSpheric rAdiaTIve fOrciNg
The effect of atmospheric aerosol particles on clouds formation, distribution and properties is one of the most unknown effects affecting climate change. This low level of knowledge about the aerosol-cloud interaction processes effect on climate difficults model estimates which are key for the development of strategic plans for climate change mitigation and are decisive for policymakers worldwide. Therefore, there is an essential need for understanding the basics of aerosol-cloud interaction processes that lead to cloud formation and affects cloud properties. From the Earth’s surface it is possible to investigate these processes using remote sensing instrumentation such as lidars and cloud radars. These instruments provide information about aerosol and cloud properties at several altitudes under varied ambient conditions. With CONDENSATION we want to improve our understanding of the effects of these aerosol cloud-interaction processes on the climate and the Earth-atmosphere energy balance, allowing to improve plans and policies for climate change mitigation.
Data: CORDIS, © European Union
Project objective
The effect of changes in atmospheric aerosol properties on clouds formation, distribution and radiative properties is the most uncertain component of the Earth´s-Atmosphere energy balance. This uncertainty affects climate model estimates, key for the development of strategic plans for climate change mitigation and for policymakers worldwide. Thus, there is an essential need for understanding aerosol-cloud interaction (ACI) processes and reducing their associated uncertainties in radiative forcing (RF). Ground-based remote sensors (e.g. lidar and radar) are crucial in this sense, providing profiles of aerosol and cloud properties, required to study ACI processes and their influence on RF. During this project, we will perform a theoretical evaluation through numerical models for optimizing lidar-radar configurations in order to improve ACI processes understanding, which could bring novel technical advancements by improving the instrumental capabilities of remote sensors. We will also perform sensitivity studies of minimum parameter information required and the impact of noise for the estimation of ACI RF from combining lidar and radar measurements. To that end, we will use the numerical models, radiative transfer codes and the global model GEOS-5 as reference data. Experimental data for the lidar and radar systems at Granada (Spain), operating within H2020 ACTRIS-2 project, will be used in the final phase. The experimental supersite at Granada is a unique environment thanks to the availability of multiple remote sensors and in-situ instrumentation which offers the possibility of evaluating the theoretical simulations and the obtained outcomes using measured data. The innovative research from the hosting group, plus the cooperative efforts with the Polytechnic University of Catalonia, the University of Reading or NASA, will guarantee the success of the proposal and a fruitful experience for the candidate on her way to consolidate as an independent leading researcher.
Original text from CORDIS.
Participants
- UNIVERSIDAD DE GRANADA · GranadaCoordinatorSpain
Links
Data: CORDIS, © European Union