SPACCS 2008 Storm Peak Aerosol and Cloud

Characterization Study• Storm Peak Laboratory, Steamboat Springs, CO• Study: March 24 – April 14, 2008

• Scientific Questions: – What is the composition of aerosols at this site?

• Organic composition• Biological particles

– What are the sources of the aerosols at this site? – Do these particles act as CCN or IN? – What organics and biological components are

observed in the clouds? Snow?– Can observations be used to parameterize cloud-

aerosol models? • How important are biological particles to impacting

cloud characteristics?

BEACHON, NSF Biogenic SOA Workshop, DRI

Measurements

• Meteorology– Wind speed/direction– Temperature, potential temperature– Relative Humidity– Vertical profile of T/RH up mountain

• Gas-phase concentrations– Ozone– CO (Thom Rahn, LANL, GC)– CO2 (Brit Stephens, NCAR)– CO2 Isotopes (Thom Rahn, LANL, Cavity Ring Down)– Water Vapor (Thom Rahn, LANL, Cavity Ring Down)– GEM and Reactive Mercury (Daniel Obrist, DRI)

Measurements Continued

• Aerosols– SMPS/APS (SPL)

• Particle number concentrations: ~8nm - ~15 m– CCN– PM2.5 and PM10 OC/EC (Eszter Horayni, CU, Sunset Labs)– PM2.5 and PM10 High Vol Filter samplers (NCAR/CU)– Low Pressure Impactor (Kelly Baustian, CU)

• Cloud Water– Organic analysis (Lynn Mazzoleni, LANL)

• Biological particles– Bacteria counts, DNA sequencing, IN assays (Bob Bowers &

Noah Frier, CU)– Snow water samples (Brent Christner, LSU)– Cloud Samples (Duane Moser, UNLV)

Current Analysis• Three components:

1) Meteorology– Met. Data Analysis (Christine Wiedinmyer) – Boundary layer dynamics– Trajectory Modeling

2) Aerosol Analysis– OC/EC Ratios– Number and Mass Analysis

• Current estimates: PM10 mass concentrations: 0.5 – 4 g/m3

• Nucleation events– Organic composition

• Bulk filter analysis: – Polar Marker compounds (Marianne Glasius)– Marker compounds (Mike Hannigan, Jim Pankow)– Elemental analysis (Lynne Mazzoleni)

• Raman Microscope (single particle analysis: Kelly Baustian)

3) Biological Components– Bacteria Counts– DNA analysis (Noah Fierer and Duane Moser) – Ice Nucleation activity (Drop freeze assays)