Aerosol, Clouds, Dynamics and their interaction over Punta Arenas, Chile (53°S, 71°W ): A summary of two years of remote sensing and in-situ observations in the frame of DACAPO-PESO

Abstract:

Motivated by the need for an improved process understanding and the current lack of high-quality continuous aerosol-cloud-precipitation datasets for the Southern Ocean region, the project DACAPO-PESO (Dynamics, Aerosol, Cloud and Precipitation Observations in the Pristine Environment of the Southern Ocean) was realized by Leibniz Institute of Tropospheric Research, Leipzig, Germany and partners from University of Leipzig and University of Magallanes, Punta Arenas, Chile (http://dacapo.tropos.de). In the frame of YOPP-endorsed DACAPO-PESO, the Leipzig Aerosol and Cloud Remote Observations System (LACROS) has been operated on the campus of University of Magallanes (52°S, 71°W) in the 2-year period from austral spring of 2018 to austral spring 2020. LACROS comprises a set of state-of-the-art remote-sensing instruments such as a 35-GHz scanning polarimetric cloud radar, multi-wavelength polarization Raman lidars, Doppler lidar, micro rain radar, microwave radiometer, laser disdrometer, as well as sensors for direct and diffuse solar and terrestrial radiation. Until September 2019, LACROS was enhanced by a 94-GHz Doppler radar of University of Leipzig. In-situ aerosol instrumentation was installed on the 620-m high peak of Cerror Mirador mountain, 10 km upwind of the LACROS site.

The observations of the remote-sensing instrumentation depict the spatio-temporal evolution of aerosols, clouds, precipitation and atmospheric vertical motions over Punta Arenas. The in-situ instrumentation provides particle size distribution, cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) and ice-nucleating particle (INP) number concentrations which can, thanks to the elevation of Cerro Mirador peak, be used for closure studies with the remote-sensing instrumentation.

This presentation will provide an overview of the results obtained so far in the frame of the project. These include new findings on the impact of CCN and INPs on the formation of cloud droplets and ice crystals, as well as new insights into surface-coupling effects on cloud processes. An overview on the consequences of the exceptional Australian wildfires for the tropospheric and stratospheric aerosol and weather conditions as well as contributions to the YOPP will be provided. Also, the underlying methodologies and novel technical developments will be described.