Characterization Of Atmospheric Variables Across The Northwest Atlantic: Analysis Of Transit Flights During The Nasa Activate Mission
Presenter: Cassidy Soloff1
Co-Author(s): -
Advisor(s): Dr. Armin Sorooshian
1Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering and Mechanics, University of Arizona
From 22 March 2022 to 18 June 2022, 8 transit flights were conducted between Virginia and Bermuda as part of the NASA Aerosol Cloud meTeorology Interactions oVer the western ATlantic Experiment (ACTIVATE). This unprecedented mission involved joint flights with two spatially coordinated aircraft: a high-flying King Air and a low-flying HU-25 Falcon. The flights provide a unique opportunity to study the properties of trace gases and aerosol particles in the transition from continental and anthropogenic sources to a relatively pristine marine environment. We present the findings of all 8 flights using data collected from the Falcon. Each flight showed decreasing aerosol concentrations and increasing aerosol hygroscopicity with offshore distance. The ratio of aerosol number concentration for particles diameters greater than 3 nm relative to those greater than 10 nm (~ 1.25-1.5) was dependent on the altitude of the measurements in relation to the boundary layer. For each day, the 3nm:10nm ratio remained otherwise consistent for the duration of the transit, suggestive of comparable levels of nucleated particles across a wide swath of the northwest Atlantic. A significant number of aerosol particles with diameters greater than 60 µm were measured during a few transit flights. These particles may be bioaerosols, which is supported by a wing-mounted probe designed for characterizing large particles and precipitation (Two-Dimensional Stereo probe). These transit flights will allow us to better understand bioaerosols over marine environments, in addition to the degree of homogeneity of gas and aerosol properties, with implications for their effects on weather and climate.