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Research Area B - TPChange TRR 301 - Wolken
TPChange 5 Projects 5 Research Area B 5 Project B02

Project B02:
Transport of aerosols and precursors from the planetary boundary layer into the UTLS – BrIdging Surface emissions, Transport and UTLS Matter (BISTUM)

Brief Summary

By scattering and absorption of incoming solar and outgoing terrestrial radiation, aerosol in the Upper Troposphere/Lower Stratosphere (UTLS) has a direct effect on the Earth’s energy balance. In absence of any major explosive volcanic eruption since Pinatubo (1991), the UTLS aerosol number concentrations remained almost constant at least over the last 29 years. This suggests that UTLS aerosol, in particular the Junge layer, is maintained by mechanisms which balance an ambling but continuous sedimentation loss of particulate material, most likely due to entry of aerosol and precursors. However, the processing of aerosol and precursor material (formation, loss and cloud interaction) during transport, e.g. from the boundary layer into the UTLS, is not yet conclusively understood. It is also unknown whether and how the emission intensity and/or composition of different aerosol and precursor substances can affect this trace matter processing. The extent to which ground-level aerosol and precursor emissions at different emission strengths and compositions influence the properties of UTLS aerosols is also yet to be clarified.
The main goal of this project is to investigate the coupling between surface emissions of atmospheric trace matter (aerosols and aerosol precursors) and the trace matter in the UTLS. This implies that surface emissions reach UTLS altitudes, which requires an effective vertical transport mechanism. In order to investigate this, detailed ground-based trace matter measurements are combined with drone and balloon-borne measurements of aerosols in close proximity to locations where vertical uplift occurs. During field experiments, the coupling will be completed by detailed airborne measurements in the UTLS as well as modelling studies performed within other subprojects of this CRC. The following questions are in focus: Which processes dominate the coupling of surface emissions and UTLS trace matter composition? How effective are these processes and associated particle formation, transformation and loss mechanisms for different aerosol and precursor components? How do surface emissions influence the UTLS aerosol?

Members

Dr. Fachinger, Friederike, Principal Investigator - TPChange

Dr. Friederike Fachinger

Principal Investigator

Max-Planck-Institut für Chemie, Abteilung Partikelchemie

fr.fachinger[at]mpic.de

Portrait-Platzhalter

Dr. Ralf Weigel

Principal Investigator

Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Institut für Physik der Atmosphäre

weigelr[at]uni-mainz.de

Prof. Dr. Konrad Kandler

Prof. Dr. Konrad Kandler

Principal Investigator

Technische Universität Darmstadt, Institut für Angewandte Geowissenschaften

kandler[at]geo.tu-darmstadt.de

Moormann, Lasse, Doctoral Candidate - TPChange

Lasse Moormann

Doctoral Candidate

Max-Planck-Institut für Chemie, Abteilung Partikelchemie

lasse.moormann[at]mpic.de

Valerio Tuya - TPChange

Luis Valero Tuya

Doctoral Candidate

Technische Universität Darmstadt, Institut für Angewandte Geowissenschaften
Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Institut für Physik der Atmosphäre

luistuya[at]uni-mainz.de

Portrait-Platzhalter

Philipp Schuhmann

Technician

Max-Planck-Institut für Chemie, Abteilung Partikelchemie

p.schuhmann[at]mpic.de