Location
Physics : 401
Date & Time
April 25, 2014, 9:00 am – 11:00 am
Description
TITLE: Measurements of Scattering Matrix Elements by Imaging Nephelometer
ABSTRACT: Aerosols, clouds and their interaction play a key role in the climate of our planet. Space based remote sensing platforms have vastly contributed to our understanding of Earth’s atmosphere by providing data over large temporal and spatial scales but these measurements must be complemented by in-situ sampling. In-situ instrumentation can provide higher spatial and temporal resolution, instrument validation and a priori climatological assumptions to be used in microphysical retrievals. In an effort to significantly enhance remote sensing motivated, in-situ measurements the Laboratory for Aerosols, Clouds and Optics (LACO) at UMBC has developed a new angular scattering instrument concept called the Imaging Nephelometer. The first field instrument to realize the imaging nephelometer design was the inlet based, UMBC Polarized Imaging Nephelometer (PI-Neph). This device has superior angular resolution and range and is the first aerosol oriented polar nephelometer to be flown on an aircraft in the past three decades. The next generation of Imaging Nephelometer, an inlet free system called the Open Imaging Nephelometer (OI-Neph) has been built at UMBC and will help to further advance both aerosol and cloud scattering measurements. The work proposed here focuses on the final development of the OI-Neph instrument as well as analysis of OI-Neph and PI-Neph data. This analysis will emphasize the PI-Neph's past five field missions as well as data taken by both instruments during the upcoming DISCOVER-AQ flight campaign.
ABSTRACT: Aerosols, clouds and their interaction play a key role in the climate of our planet. Space based remote sensing platforms have vastly contributed to our understanding of Earth’s atmosphere by providing data over large temporal and spatial scales but these measurements must be complemented by in-situ sampling. In-situ instrumentation can provide higher spatial and temporal resolution, instrument validation and a priori climatological assumptions to be used in microphysical retrievals. In an effort to significantly enhance remote sensing motivated, in-situ measurements the Laboratory for Aerosols, Clouds and Optics (LACO) at UMBC has developed a new angular scattering instrument concept called the Imaging Nephelometer. The first field instrument to realize the imaging nephelometer design was the inlet based, UMBC Polarized Imaging Nephelometer (PI-Neph). This device has superior angular resolution and range and is the first aerosol oriented polar nephelometer to be flown on an aircraft in the past three decades. The next generation of Imaging Nephelometer, an inlet free system called the Open Imaging Nephelometer (OI-Neph) has been built at UMBC and will help to further advance both aerosol and cloud scattering measurements. The work proposed here focuses on the final development of the OI-Neph instrument as well as analysis of OI-Neph and PI-Neph data. This analysis will emphasize the PI-Neph's past five field missions as well as data taken by both instruments during the upcoming DISCOVER-AQ flight campaign.
