Research Summaries

Back CA Smoke Mission Analysis

Fiscal Year 2021
Division Graduate School of Engineering & Applied Science
Department Meteorology
Investigator(s) Bucholtz, Anthony
Sponsor Office of Naval Research (Navy)
Summary This project will do an extended analysis of the airborne data collected during the California (CA) Smoke Mission that the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) CIRPAS Airborne Research Facility (CIRPAS) conducted in September 2020 to measure the meteorological, microphysical, and radiative properties and effects of aerosols and clouds in the smoke-laden atmosphere generated by a historic level of California wildfire activity.
The specific objectives of this project are to:
1. Determine the radiative effects of the smoke: The solar and infrared (IR) broadband radiative fluxes measured from the CIRPAS Twin Otter throughout the atmospheric column, combined with concurrent aerosol/cloud microphysical measurements, and meteorological state measurements will be used to characterize the radiative feedbacks between the smoke and low level marine stratocumulus clouds, and the radiative effects of the smoke on the thermodynamic state of the atmospheric column and on boundary layer development.
2. Characterize sea salt conditions in the marine boundary layer: The in-situ microphysical measurements taken during multiple legs in the marine boundary layer will be used to characterize the sea salt aerosol conditions under various meteorological regimes. Numerous flight legs from near the sea surface (100 ft) up through the inversion, made in clear and cloudy conditions, and in low and high wind conditions will be examined.
Keywords
Publications Publications, theses (not shown) and data repositories will be added to the portal record when information is available in FAIRS and brought back to the portal
Data Publications, theses (not shown) and data repositories will be added to the portal record when information is available in FAIRS and brought back to the portal