TBNPFS

Tethered Balloon Launches During NPFS2013

5 May 2013 - 18 May 2013

Lead Scientist: James N. Smith

Observatory: SGP

The objective was to measure the vertical profiles of the size distribution of particles in the atmosphere (aka “aerosols”), and to understand some aspects of atmospheric structure that may aid in the interpretation of ground-based measurements during the 2013 New Particle Formation Study (NPFS2013) at the Southern Great Plains Central Facility. These observations were used in, for example, developing models that simulate our observations, and then ultimately can be applied to predicting the impacts of the aerosol formation in regional air quality and climate. An example of the latter is these vertically-resolved measurements could help us explain if the particles that we observe on the ground have any chance of affecting cloud properties.