Atmospheric Sciences Master's Defense

July 17, 9:30am - 10:30am
Mānoa Campus, IPRC Conference Room, POST 414

Aerosol-Cloud Interactions from Hawaii's Kilauea Volcano

Ms. Kayla Yamamoto
Atmospheric Sciences M.S. Candidate
Department of Atmospheric Sciences, S.O.E.S.T.
University of Hawaii at Manoa

Date: Tuesday, July 17, 2018
Time: 9:30am
Location: IPRC Conference Room, POST 414

Abstract:
Aerosol-cloud interactions (ACI) play an important role in the global radiative budget, yet they remain poorly understood and account for much of the current uncertainty in global climate forcing models. Studies have shown the effectiveness of using natural laboratories, such as effusive volcanoes, to study the impact of sulfate aerosols on local cloud properties. Additionally, these studies can be used as an analog for the effects of traditional point sources, such as power plants, to improve our understanding of anthropogenic climate change. Kīlauea Volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii provides a unique opportunity to explore ACI, in a remote setting characterized by a continuous sulfur source and favorable background conditions. Thus, in this study we investigate the impact of sulfate aerosols on shallow marine cloud characteristics downwind of the Kīlauea Volcano. We combine MODIS/Aqua Level-2 collection 6 cloud properties together with results from a regional Vog model to compare clouds within the Kīlauea aerosol plume to clouds located out of plume. We identify a total of 127 MODIS cases from JJA 2011 – 2017, providing a robust statistical analysis of the impact of the Kīlauea aerosol plume on downstream cloud properties. In addition, we provide an illustrating case study and consider the role of over-island pollution sources and orographic effects using preliminary ambient air quality data from the Hawaii State Department of Health.


Event Sponsor
SOEST Atmospheric Sciences, Mānoa Campus

More Information
(808) 956-8775, SEE FLYER (PDF)

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