Airborne Measurements of Coarse Mode Aerosol Composition and Abundance

Abstract:

Coarse aerosol particles impact the earth’s radiative balance by direct scattering and absorption of light and by promoting cloud formation. Modeling studies suggest that coarse mode mineral dust and sea salt aerosol are the dominant contributors to aerosol optical depth throughout much of the globe. Lab and field studies indicate that larger aerosol particles tend to be more efficient ice nuclei, and recent airborne measurements confirm the dominant role of mineral dust on cirrus cloud formation. However, our ability to simulate coarse mode particle abundance in large scale models is limited by a lack of validating measurements above the earth’s surface. We present airborne measurements of coarse mode aerosol abundance and composition over several mid-latitude, sub-tropical, and tropical regions from the boundary layer to the stratosphere. In the free troposphere the coarse mode constitutes 10-50% of the total particulate mass over a wide range of environments. Above North America mineral dust typically dominates the coarse mode, but biomass burning particles and sea salt also contribute. In remote environments coarse mode aerosol mainly consists of internally mixed sulfate-organic particles. Both continental and marine convection can enhance coarse aerosol mass through direct lofting of primary particles and by secondary accumulation of aerosol material through cloud processing.