Federal award (DELIVERY ORDER, fiscal year 2024)
Recipient: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF AEROSPACE ASSOCIATES
Awarding agency: National Aeronautics and Space Administration / National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Funding agency: National Aeronautics and Space Administration / National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Period of performance: 2018-03-23 to 2019-04-30
Current total value of award: $158453
Description: ANALYSIS OF SATELLITE AND IN SITU OBSERVATIONS OF THE ASIAN TROPOPAUSE AEROSOL LAYER (ATAL).  THE ASIAN TROPOPAUSE AEROSOL LAYER IS AN ENHANCEMENT OF AEROSOLS IN THE UPPER TROPOSPHERE AND LOWER STRATOSPHERE (UTLS) ASSOCIATED WITH DEEP CONVECTION OF BOUNDARY-LAYER POLLUTION DURING THE ASIAN SUMMER MONSOON. THE PRESENCE OF ATAL HAS IMPORTANT IMPLICATIONS FOR CLOUD FORMATION, PRECIPITATION, UTLS CHEMISTRY, AND REGIONAL CLIMATE. THE PURPOSE OF THE PROPOSED RESEARCH IS TO USE OBSERVATIONAL DATA FROM SATELLITES, BALLOONS AND AIRCRAFT TO ILLUMINATE THE OPTICAL PROPERTIES, COMPOSITION, AND POTENTIAL IMPACTS OF THE ATAL ON THE UTLS REGION. FUTURE WORK MAY INCLUDE ADDITIONAL DEPLOYMENTS TO INDIA OR OTHER COUNTRIES TO MEASURE AND ANALYZE AEROSOL LEVELS IN THE UTLS, OR TO OTHER DOMESTIC OR INTERNATIONAL LOCATIONS IN RESPONSE TO VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS TO STUDY THE PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF VOLCANIC PLUMES.