Mixing of dust aerosols into a mesoscale convective system: Generation, filtering and possible feedbacks on ice anvils

International audienceDuring the second Specific Observing Period (SOP) of the African Monsoon Multidisplinary Analyses (AMMA) campaign, several intense mesoscale convective systems (MCS) developed over Niger. An examination of a particular convective storm simulated with a mesoscale model near Banizoumbou, Niger, on 1 July, 2006, shows that this MCS generates a strong emission of dust particles at the leading edge of its density current. A fraction of these dust aerosols are uplifted by the convective core of the system and redistributed by aqueous processes. Aerosol impaction scavenging is the main process by which particles are deposited within the mesoscale convective system. However, small particles (smaller than 1 μm) that are not efficiently scavenged, are able to reach the upper troposphere at a concentration of 6 particles per cm3. This suggests that deep convection over semi-arid regions is able to create its own ice nuclei in high concentrations. This leads to the question: can deep convection over semi-arid regions affect particular ice properties such as ice anvil extension or induce possible feedbacks of dust on precipitation through ice sedimentation

Increase of the aerosol hygroscopicity by aqueous mixing in a mesoscale convective system: a case study from the AMMA campaign

International audienceAerosol properties were measured during an airborne campaign experiment that took place in July 2006 in West Africa within the framework of the African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analyses (AMMA). The goal of the present study was to determine the main microphysical processes that affect the aerosols during the passage of a mesoscale convective system (MCS) over the region of Niamey in Niger. A main difference in the aerosol profiles measured before and after the passage of the MCS was found for a layer located between 1300 and 3000 m where the aerosol concentration has drastically decreased after the passage of the MCS. Concurrently, a significant increase of the cloud condensation nuclei fraction was also observed during the post-MCS period in the same layer. Moreover, the results of the elemental composition analyses of individual particles collected in this layer after the MCS passage have shown higher contributions of sulfate, nitrate and chloride to the total aerosol. A mesoscale atmospheric model with on-line dust parameterization and Lagrangian backtrajectories was used to interpret the impact of the MCS on the aerosol properties. The results of the simulation show that the MCS 1) generates dust particles at the surface in front of the system and washout particles behind, 2) modifies the aerosol mixing state through cloud processing, and 3) enhances CCN activity of particles through the coating of soluble material

RED experiment: an assessment of boundary layer effects in a trade winds regime on microwave and infrared propagation over the sea, The

Includes bibliographical references (pages 1364-1365).The Rough Evaporation Duct experiment aimed to see if the effects of ocean waves account for errors in modeling the ranges at which radar and infrared can detect low-flying targets

On the link between ocean biota emissions, aerosol, and maritime clouds: Airborne, ground, and satellite measurements off the coast of California

Surface, airborne, and satellite measurements over the eastern Pacific Ocean off the coast of California during the period between 2005 and 2007 are used to explore the relationship between ocean chlorophyll a, aerosol, and marine clouds. Periods of enhanced chlorophyll a and wind speed are coincident with increases in particulate diethylamine and methanesulfonate concentrations. The measurements indicate that amines are a source of secondary organic aerosol in the marine atmosphere. Subsaturated aerosol hygroscopic growth measurements indicate that the organic component during periods of high chlorophyll a and wind speed exhibit considerable water uptake ability. Increased average cloud condensation nucleus (CCN) activity during periods of increased chlorophyll a levels likely results from both size distribution and aerosol composition changes. The available data over the period of measurements indicate that the cloud microphysical response, as represented by either cloud droplet number concentration or cloud droplet effective radius, is likely influenced by a combination of atmospheric dynamics and aerosol perturbations during periods of high chlorophyll a concentrations

Oxalic acid in clear and cloudy atmospheres: Analysis of data from International Consortium for Atmospheric Research on Transport and Transformation 2004

Oxalic acid is often the leading contributor to the total dicarboxylic acid mass in ambient organic aerosol particles. During the 2004 International Consortium for Atmospheric Research on Transport and Transformation (ICARTT) field campaign, nine inorganic ions (including SO_4^(2−)) and five organic acid ions (including oxalate) were measured on board the Center for Interdisciplinary Remotely Piloted Aircraft Studies (CIRPAS) Twin Otter research aircraft by a particle-into-liquid sampler (PILS) during flights over Ohio and surrounding areas. Five local atmospheric conditions were studied: (1) cloud-free air, (2) power plant plume in cloud-free air with precipitation from scattered clouds overhead, (3) power plant plume in cloud-free air, (4) power plant plume in cloud, and (5) clouds uninfluenced by local pollution sources. The aircraft sampled from two inlets: a counterflow virtual impactor (CVI) to isolate droplet residuals in clouds and a second inlet for sampling total aerosol. A strong correlation was observed between oxalate and SO_4^(2−) when sampling through both inlets in clouds. Predictions from a chemical cloud parcel model considering the aqueous-phase production of dicarboxylic acids and SO_4^(2−) show good agreement for the relative magnitude of SO_4^(2−) and oxalate growth for two scenarios: power plant plume in clouds and clouds uninfluenced by local pollution sources. The relative contributions of the two aqueous-phase routes responsible for oxalic acid formation were examined; the oxidation of glyoxylic acid was predicted to dominate over the decay of longer-chain dicarboxylic acids. Clear evidence is presented for aqueous-phase oxalic acid production as the primary mechanism for oxalic acid formation in ambient aerosols

The thermodynamic and kinetic impacts of organics on marine aerosols

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2006.Organics can change the manner in which aerosols scatter radiation directly as hydrated aerosols and indirectly as in-cloud activated aerosols, through changing the solution activity, the surface tension, and the accommodation coefficient of the hydrated aerosol. This work explores the kinetic and thermodynamic impacts of the organic component of marine aerosols through data collected over four field campaigns and through several models used to reproduce observations.The Rough Evaporation Duct (RED) project was conducted in the summer of 2001 off the coast of Oahu using the Twin Otter Aircraft and the Floating Instrument Platform research platform for data collection. The Cloud-Aerosol Research in the Marine Atmosphere (CARMA) campaigns were conducted over three summers (2002, 2004, 2005) off the coast of Monterey, California. During the CARMA campaigns, a thick, moist, stratocumulus deck was present during most days, and the Twin Otter Aircraft was the primary research platform used to collect data. However, the research goals and exact instrumentation onboard the Twin Otter varied from campaign to campaign, and each data set was analyzed individually.Data collected from CARMA I were used to explore the mechanism of oxalic acid production in cloud droplets. Oxalate was observed in the clouds in excess to below cloud concentrations by an average of 0.11 mug m-3, suggesting an in-cloud production. The tentative identification in cloud water of an intermediate species in the aqueous oxalate production mechanism lends further support to an in-cloud oxalate source.The data sets collected during the RED campaign and the CARMA II and CARMA III campaigns were used to investigate the impact of aerosol chemical speciation on aerosol hygroscopic behavior. Several models were used to correlate the observations in the subsaturated regime to theory including an explicit thermodynamic model, simple Kohler theory, and a parameterization of the solution activity. These models were also applied to a cloud parcel model to examine cloud condensation nuclei closure. The best agreement was found when the solution activity was calculated using Svenningsson's model estimates, suggesting the nonlinear impact of organics on solution activity is the most important impact of organics on the marine aerosol

Margaret C. Jorels letter to Dr. Gillette Hayden, July 29, 1920

This is a letter from Margaret C. Jones to Dr. Gillette Hayden from July 29, 1920. Mrs. Jorels updates Dr. Hayden on what is going on at the Party's Headquarters, and how they continue to push for the ratification of the 19th amendment in multiple publications nationwide. She also thanks Dr. Hayden for the time that members spent in Columbus, Ohio. The National Woman's Party originated in 1913 when the Congressional Union for Woman Suffrage began its work to secure the enfranchisement of women through a federal amendment. In 1914, after the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) denied the Congressional Union's application for readmission as an auxillary, they split from the suffrage movement. It began to operate as an independent organization with different policies and tactics. The union actively campaigned against Democratic house, senate, and gubernatorial candidates, and effectively influences the campaign loss of many in the 1914 election. This spurred congressional debate on suffrage in 1915 and 1916, but it was not enough to secure the passage of a suffrage amendment. As a result, Alice Paul, founder of the Congressional Union, called for the organization of the National Woman's Party (NWP). The party's main platform was to secure an amendment to the United States Constitution enfranchising women. The party's main form of protest, picketing, began in 1917 at the White House, following the 1916 Presidential election. Congressional Union members joining the pickets as well, eventually disbanding and solely being known as the National Woman's Party. The NWP pressured the Wilson administration by pointing out the hypocracy of fighting for democrracy in Europe while America wasn't truly democratic. Wilson, seeing suffrage as an essential measure in winning the war and saving democracy, began to push for a constitutional amendment. The House passed the nineteenth amendment on January 10, 1918, and after the Senate passed the measure on June 4, 1919, the fifteen month ratification campaign began. After Tennessee passed the suffrage amendment on August 18, 1920, the nineteenth amendment became law. NWP members, while jubilant and exhausted after their seven year quest, saw other equal rights issues needing attention. Since many legal restrictions still remained on women, the NWP decided to reorganize and fight for the full emancipation of women in all areas with the immediate concerns being the removal of legal inequalities in marriage, divorce, custody, work, and education