Public Abstract

DE-SC0025239: Elucidating the impacts of shallow and deep convective cloud processing on biogenic VOC driven particle formation and growth

Award Status: Active

Institution: University of Washington, Seattle, WA
UEI: HD1WMN6945W6
DUNS: 605799469

Most Recent Award Date: 08/15/2024
Number of Support Periods: 1
PM: Stehr, Jeffrey

Current Budget Period: 09/01/2024 - 02/28/2025
Current Project Period: 09/01/2024 - 08/31/2027
PI: Thornton, Joel

Supplement Budget Period: N/A

Public Abstract

Elucidating the impacts of shallow and deep convective cloud processing on biogenic VOC driven particle formation and growth Principal Investigator: Joel Thornton (University of Washington) Co-Investigator: Mathew Wyantt (University of Washington) Unfunded collaborators: John Shilling and Manish Shrivastava (Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Maria Zawadowicz (Brookhaven National Laboratory), Roman Bardakov and Ilona Riipinen (Stockholm University, Sweden) Forests emit volatile organic compounds to the atmosphere at large rates and once in the atmosphere these can be converted into fine particles, thereby contributing to regional haze and the nuclei on which cloud droplets form. Thus, forests can alter clouds, radiation, and carbon cycling. However, the processing of these volatile organic compounds and their atmospheric reaction products by clouds, and the impact of those reaction products on cloud condensation nuclei concentrations remains a key challenge for accurate representation in computer models of the Earth system due to the inherent chemical complexity of aqueous-phase chemistry occurring in cloud droplets and the spatial and temporal scales over which interactions with clouds take place. The team on this project will conduct computer modeling and experiments to develop understanding and improved parameterization of the chemical processes occurring in clouds that alter the conversion of volatile organic compounds of biological origin into cloud condensation nuclei. The team will study the following questions: 1) To what extent do cumulus clouds over the Amazon and the Southeast U.S. remove volatile organic compounds emitted by forests in those regions? 2) Of the volatile organic compounds emitted from forests, how much can be converted into particles in processes occurring in clouds? The team will use state of the art high resolution atmospheric chemical transport models with realistic representations of clouds and measurements of fine particle composition at the Department of Energy’s Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Facility in the Southeast U.S. to study these questions.

Elucidating the impacts of shallow and deep convective cloud processing on biogenic VOC driven particle formation and growth

Principal Investigator: Joel Thornton (University of Washington)

Co-Investigator: Mathew Wyantt (University of Washington)

Unfunded collaborators: John Shilling and Manish Shrivastava (Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Maria Zawadowicz (Brookhaven National Laboratory), Roman Bardakov and Ilona Riipinen (Stockholm University, Sweden)

Forests emit volatile organic compounds to the atmosphere at large rates and once in the atmosphere these can be converted into fine particles, thereby contributing to regional haze and the nuclei on which cloud droplets form. Thus, forests can alter clouds, radiation, and carbon cycling. However, the processing of these volatile organic compounds and their atmospheric reaction products by clouds, and the impact of those reaction products on cloud condensation nuclei concentrations remains a key challenge for accurate representation in computer models of the Earth system due to the inherent chemical complexity of aqueous-phase chemistry occurring in cloud droplets and the spatial and temporal scales over which interactions with clouds take place. The team on this project will conduct computer modeling and experiments to develop understanding and improved parameterization of the chemical processes occurring in clouds that alter the conversion of volatile organic compounds of biological origin into cloud condensation nuclei. The team will study the following questions:

1) To what extent do cumulus clouds over the Amazon and the Southeast U.S. remove volatile organic compounds emitted by forests in those regions?

2) Of the volatile organic compounds emitted from forests, how much can be converted into particles in processes occurring in clouds?

The team will use state of the art high resolution atmospheric chemical transport models with realistic representations of clouds and measurements of fine particle composition at the Department of Energy’s Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Facility in the Southeast U.S. to study these questions.