Research
Research projects
Research projects
Research projects
Current Research Projects
AeroCom Experiments
Current projects
Constraining marine boundary layer cloud properties in climate models: (CLOSURE)
Funded by: NERC
Principal Investigator: Dr Daniel Partridge
Co-Investigators and External Partners: Prof Jim Haywood (University of Exeter), Prof Ken Carslaw (University of Leeds), UK Met Office, University of Arizona and EPFL
CLOSURE will capitalise on a new modelling framework in which a detailed cloud parcel model (CPM) is embedded within an ESM to probe ACI in a new novel way. ESMs will be confronted with detailed observations of aerosols and clouds from the NASA Earth Venture Suborbital mission called ACTIVATE (Aerosol Cloud meTeorology Interactions oVer the western ATlantic Experiment). Combining new modelling frameworks with detailed observations in new ways will allow us improve our current understanding and parameterisations of ACI.
Image credit: Armin Sorooshian, University of Arizona
Aerosol-cloud-climate interactions derived from Degassing VolcANiC Eruptions: (ADVANCE)
Funded by: NERC (NE/T006897/1)
Principal Investigator: Prof Jim Haywood
Co-Investigators and External Partners: Dr Daniel Partridge (University of Exeter), Prof Paul Field (University of Leeds), Prof Ken Carslaw (University of Leeds), Dr Anja Schmidt (University of Cambridge),
The huge fissure eruption at Holuhraun in 2014-2015 in Iceland, was the largest effusive degassing event from Iceland since the eruption of Laki in 1783. It created a huge plume of sulfur dioxide that oxidised to sulfate aerosol which impacted the microphysical, optical and macrophysical properties of clouds. ADVANCE utilises state-of-the-art observations from surface-based sites and from satellite-borne instruments to challenge the modelling of ACI from multiple climate models. In doing so, ADVANCE will provide a thorough analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the different models and enable new, well constrained estimates of the impact of ACI on climate. The University of Exeter affiliated post-doctoral research associate is Ying Chen.
Soot Aerodynamic Size Selection for Optical properties (SASSO)
Funded by: NERC (NE/S00212X/1)
Principal Investigator: Prof James Allan (University of Manchester)
Co-Investigators and External Partners: Prof Jim Haywood and Prof Claire Belcher (University of Exeter)
Atmospheric soot is a pollutant that contains black carbon (BC) and potentially also brown carbon (BrC) and is produced from combustion sources such as diesel engines, wildfires, agricultural waste burning and the burning of solid fuels such as wood and coal. Because BC and BrC absorb sunlight, they can have a warming effect on climate, in particular on local scales. There is evidence to suggest that the increase in absorbing aerosols associated with pollution has been responsible for the weakening of the South Asian Monsoon and also in driving the largest increase in stratospheric temperatures since the eruption of Pinatubo in 1991. The University of Exeter affiliated post-graduate research associate is Lilly Damany-Pearce.
IMpacts of PRecipitation from Extreme StormS – Malaysia (IMPRESS – Malaysia)
Funded by: NERC (NE/S002707/1)
Principal Investigator: Prof Jim Haywood
Co-Investigators and External Partners: Dr Matt Hawcroft and Dr Jenn Catto (University of Exeter), Dr Kevin Hodges (University of Reading) and Dr Mou Leong Tan (Universite Sains Malaysia)
Extreme precipitation events have been increasing in recent decades. They can lead to considerable damage through flooding, which can be enhanced by changes in land use. In a warmer climate, the expected shift to a more intense wet season, with increased frequency of the most extreme events, may have significant implications for the hydrology of Peninsular Malaysia. IMPRESS investigates the dynamical features (e.g. tropical storms) that lead to extreme precipitation in Malaysia and how these may change in the future. The work is closely coordinated with the hydrological catchment work of Dr Mou Leong Tan of the Universite Sains, Malaysia. The affiliated post-doctoral research associate is Dr Ju Liang.
NCAR collaborative Development (EXTEND)
Funded by: NERC (NE/W003880/1)
Principal Investigator: Prof Jim Haywood
Co-Investigators and External Partners: Jean-Francois Lamarque and Jaga Richter (NCAR, Boulder, Colorado, USA)
The realisation by the scientific community of the difficulty of limiting global mean temperatures to within these 1.5 or 2.0C targets has led to increased calls for climate intervention via so called "solar radiation management (SRM)" techniques. These techniques aim to increase planetary albedo and induce a cooling that acts to partially offset global warming. This proposal uses the UK's climate model (UKESM1) to EXTEND the large-ensemble approach pioneered by NCAR with CESM2-WACCM. to provide a dual-model assessment of the various pros, cons, perils and pitfalls of SAI climate intervention utilising two of the most advanced GCMs currently available. The affiliated post-doctoral research associate is Dr Matthew Henry and a PhD student working on the project is Alice Wells.
Constrained aerosol forcing for improved climate projections (FORCeS)
Funded by: European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme
Principal University of Exeter Investigator: Dr Daniel Partridge
Lead by: Stockholm University (Project coordinator: Prof Ilona Riipinen; Scientific Coordinator: Prof Annica Ekman)
The FORCeS project aims to understand and reduce the long-standing uncertainty in anthropogenic aerosol radiative forcing. This is crucial if we are to increase confidence in climate projections. FORCeS will identify key processes governing aerosol radiative forcing, as well as climate feedbacks related to aerosols and clouds, and improve the knowledge about these processes. For further information, see the Forces project website.
Image credit: FORCes website.
Southern Ocean Clouds (SOC)
Funded by: NERC NE/T006390/1
Principal Investigator: Dr T Lachlan-Cope, NERC British Antarctic Survey
University of Exeter Co-Investigator: Dr Daniel Partridge
This proposal will use a novel multi-scale, multi-platform approach over a variety of temporal and spatial scales that will improve understanding of aerosol and cloud microphysics over regions with maximum climate model bias, namely both the Southern Ocean and coastal areas around Antarctica, leading to better representation of these processes in climate models. For further details see the SOC project website.
AeroCOM Experiments
Aerosol GCM Trajectory Experiment (GCMTraj)
Principal Investigator: Dr Daniel Partridge
Co-Investigators and External Partners: Paul Kim, AeroCom participating modelling and measurement groups
In this collaborative project as part of the international AeroCom framework we lead a multi-model evaluation against reanalysis meteorological fields combined with ground-based observations of aerosol properties in a trajectory-based Lagrangian framework.
Applying trajectory calculations to the meteorological fields from reanalysis and GCM data for the same location and time-period facilitates a highly transparent means for evaluating the discrepancies between models and observations as a function of aerosol source/sink pathways during transport to a measurement station.
This analysis technique will have wide scientific relevance as it facilitates tracing the aerosol evolution during transport to investigate the role of sources, dynamical processes and sinks on the aerosol properties in the model. For further details, and for information on how to get involved, see their dedicated webpage.
Aerosol Volcano Aerosol and Cloud Interaction Experiment (VolcACI)
Principal Investigator: Dr Florent Malavelle and Prof Jim Haywood (University of Exeter) and George Jordan (Met Office)
External Partners: AeroCom participating modelling groups
Understanding how changes in aerosol particles affect clouds remains one of the most challenging and persistent problems in atmospheric science. Aerosol-Cloud Interactions (ACI) are hard to constrain as they operate at scales much smaller than those resolved by Earth System Models (ESMs). Degassing volcanos emit huge amount of sulphur dioxide forming large-scale aerosol plumes create ideal experimental conditions for testing large scale models representation of ACI. Aerosol plumes from the Holuhraun (Iceland) and the Kilauea (Hawaii, US) degassing volcanos cover huge areas affecting low clouds in different environments. This experiment proposes to extend the protocol described in Malavelle et al., 2017 (Nature) and Yuan et al., 2011 (ACP) to investigate ACI during these two volcano most recent eruptions involving a larger group of ESMs
For further details, and for information on how to get involved, see the Aerocom webpage.