Start
April 17, 2024 - 3:00 pm
End
April 17, 2024 - 4:00 pm
Categories
Weather and Climate SystemsWeather and Climate Systems
Logan T. Mitchell
Refining In Situ Aerosol Measurements via a Simple Threshold Screening Method for ORACLES 2016-2018
April 17, 2024
3:00 pm
NWC 1350
Abstract: During ORACLES (ObseRvations of Aerosols above CLouds and their IntEractionS) 2016-2018, in situ Single Scattering Albedo (SSA) was determined using absorption coefficients from Particle Soot Absorption Photometers (PSAP) and scattering coefficients from TSI Nephelometers (Neph), operated by the Hawaii Group for Environmental Aerosol Research (HIGEAR) instrument team. During a spatial analysis of ORACLES in situ SSA, it was discovered that the data was inconsistently screened across the three campaigns. In situ SSA was recalculated via a method recommended by the HIGEAR team, but the resultant values implausibly span the entire SSA range of 0 to 1, thus requiring further screening.
A scattering coefficient threshold of >10 Mm-1 was chosen to remove implausible SSA values, resulting in a consistent screening method for all three ORACLES campaigns to replace the current dataset on the Earth Science Project Office (ESPO) archival website. Optional screening thresholds, including carbon monoxide concentration to target the smoke plume and altitude to remove boundary layer effects, are also discussed. These optional thresholds, while not incorporated into the new dataset, are useful for common research scenarios, such as the spatial and subseasonal analyses conducted by the authors.