Knowledge of the optical properties of atmospheric carbonaceous aerosols, especially in the ultraviolet (UV) spectral region is currently limited. This hinders efforts to identify and quantify…

This is a $499,357.02 grant awarded by NASA to the Nevada System of Higher Education's Desert Research Institute (DRI) to conduct research on the optical properties of atmospheric carbonaceous aerosols, especially in the ultraviolet (UV) spectral region. The research aims to improve the identification and quantification of carbonaceous aerosols and their radiative and climate-forcing properties using satellite and ground-based remote sensors. The contract is focused on characterizing the single scattering albedo (SSA) of black carbon (BC) and brown carbon (BrC) aerosols from natural and anthropogenic sources. This knowledge is critical for determining whether these aerosols have a net warming or cooling effect on the climate. The contract runs from April 2015 to April 2020 and does not have a set-aside designation. As the environmental research arm of the Nevada System of Higher Education, DRI has secured numerous prime federal contracts and grants with agencies like NOAA, USGS, and the Department of Defense to provide specialized scientific and technical services.

Knowledge of the optical properties of atmospheric carbonaceous aerosols, especially in the ultraviolet (UV) spectral region is currently limited. This hinders efforts to identify and quantify carbonaceous aerosols and their radiative and climate-forcing properties with satellite and ground-based remote sensors such as the ozone-monitoring instrument (OMI) on NASA's aura mission, NASA's proposed climate absolute radiance and refractivity observatory (clarreo), and NASA's aerosol robotic network (aeronet). In terms of radiative properties, the aerosol single scattering albedo (SSA) is of key importance for the sign and quantity of aerosol direct radiative forcing; that is, does the aerosol make the earth look darker (heating) or whiter (cooling). Atmospheric light absorbing carbonaceous aerosols are dominated by black carbon (BC) and brown carbon (BRC) containing mostly particles from natural (i.e., biomass burning) and anthropogenic (i.e., fossil fuel and biomass burning) activities.