Department of Earth and Planetary Science
In 2016 we were invieted to be the atmospheric componet for the Tara Pacific Expedition, where we measured aerosol size distribution and collected them for biological, morphological and elemental analysis across the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
Mesocosm experiments are designed to follow the dynamics of a natural algal bloom in an isolated environment within the natural waters. The Mesocosm experiment provided us with the opportunity to measure the physical, chemical, and biological properties of the airborne particles emitted from the natural populations in the Norwegian Fjords.
The effects of oceanic microbial activity, specifically, in phytoplankton blooms on aerosol production mechanisms, their chemical composition, and their subsequent effect on cloud physics and climate are unknown. Additionally, the fate and impacts of airborne microorganisms deposited into the ocean surface and their effect on marine ecosystems and biogeochemical processes, is underexplored. To examine these questions, we developed a bubbling system for sea spray aerosol production.
Boundary layer clouds are responsible for most of the solar reflectance over the ocean and their optical properties, lifetime, and spatial coverage are significantly affected by the aerosol concentration and properties. We investigate warm cloud process by integrating the in-situ TARA measurements, mesocosm and laboratory experiments of aerosols, atmosphere and ocean properties with analysis of satellite data, and reanalysis and other sources for thermodynamic profiles (e.g. atmospheric soundings) together with numerical cloud modelling.