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Studying the Evolution of Atmospheric Aerosol at the High-altitude Mountain Station of Mt. Cimone, Italy


EMSL Project ID
50787

Abstract

Free tropospheric air contains a mixture of aerosol from far sources -- through long-range transport -- as well as, local emissions -- through vertical mixing of air from the planetary boundary layer. Aerosols in the free troposphere are processed by interacting with other co-existing aerosols and gases, experiencing temperature and relative humidity changes, and undergoing cloud processing. These processing mechanisms alter the physical and chemical properties of individual aerosol particles, which in turn influence their interactions with the solar radiation and hence the earth net radiation budget.

We propose an investigative study of the evolution of the morphology and mixing state of atmospheric particles collected at the high elevation Mt. Cimone O. Vittori observatory, in Italy (2165 m above sea level). Aerosol samples and measurements were collected during the Aerosol Cloud and Trace Gases Research Infrastructure (ACTRIS-2) field campaign in 2017.

We will utilize state of the art analytical capabilities at EMSL such as computer-controlled scanning electron microscopy, scanning/environmental transmission microscopy, and a novel ice nucleation apparatus interfaced with an environmental SEM (IN-ESEM). We will couple this detailed single particle information with ancillary in-line aerosol measurements collected at the and retroplume modeling simulations to develop a comprehensive study of the effects of sources, mixing, transport and aging on the properties of free tropospheric aerosols at high elevation, in a data-scarce mountainous environment in the Mediterranean region.

Project Details

Project type
Large-Scale EMSL Research
Start Date
2019-10-01
End Date
2021-12-31
Status
Closed

Team

Principal Investigator

Angela Marinoni
Institution
CNR - Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche

Co-Investigator(s)

Claudio Mazzoleni
Institution
Michigan Technological University

Team Members

Nurun Nahar Lata
Institution
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Kuo-Pin Tseng
Institution
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory