The complexity of dust aerosol optical and microphysical properties leads to large uncertainties of dust aerosol radiative effect. To reduce the uncertainties, IT is necessary to have a quantitative…

This $149,912.39 grant was awarded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Shared Services Center to Texas A&M University to develop new computational capabilities and datasets for using combined spaceborne lidar and polarimeter observations to study the variability of dust aerosol optical and microphysical properties. The project aims to reduce uncertainties in understanding the radiative effects of dust aerosols, which is a priority for the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine's recent Earth observation decadal survey. Texas A&M University, as part of the Texas A&M University System, is a public research university that has received significant federal funding for various research, development, and education projects. This award does not have a set-aside designation.

The complexity of dust aerosol optical and microphysical properties leads to large uncertainties of dust aerosol radiative effect. To reduce the uncertainties, IT is necessary to have a quantitative understanding of spatial and temporal variability of dust aerosol properties. We propose to develop new computational capabilities and datasets for using combined observations from spaceborne lidar and polarimeter to study the variability of dust aerosol optical and microphysical properties. Our preliminary findings suggest that the lidar signal is not only sensitive to dust aerosol optical thickness and nonsphericity, but also sensitive to effective particle size. However, those dust aerosol properties cannot be determined uniquely only from lidar observation due to nonsufficient a priori knowledge. Multi-channel and multi-angle polarization measurement will provide more information of particle size and optical thickness. The thriving on our changing planet: a decadal strategy for earth observation from space (hereafter the latest decadal survey) that is a consensus study report of the national academies of sciences, engineering and medicine prioritizes the observations of aerosol properties and vertical profile with backscatter lidar and multi-channel and multi-angle polarimeter. The outcomes of the proposed project will lead to new modeling capabilities and datasets that will directly benefit the use of a combination of lidar and polarimetric observations to study dust aerosol. Thus, the proposed study is highly relevant to NASA and is in alignment with the concept stated in the latest decadal survey of using combined spaceborne lidar and polarimetric observations to study dust aerosol optical and microphysical property variability.