Expressions of Intent for International Polar Year 2007-2008 Activities

Expression of Interest Details

PROPOSAL INFORMATION

Quantification of Tropospheric Aerosol and thin clouds Variability over the East Antarctic Plateau, including RadiatioN budget.  (TAVERN)

Outline
Aerosol and cloud effects on atmospheric radiation remain a major uncertainty in understanding past and present climates and in predicting the future climate. As a con-sequence of the specific conditions, in the polar region aerosols can produce complicated and rather intense regional climatic effects, significantly modifying the overall albedo of the surface-atmosphere system. The analysis of measurements carried out in polar areas indicates significant contrasts in aerosol concentrations and their spectral signatures, as well as highlights the importance of assimilating data from several sites to better characterize aerosols spatially and temporally and finally to gain a perspective on how aerosols differ from pole to pole. Slight changes in cloud micro-physical or optical properties resulting from interactions with aerosols are likely to perturb the climate of the high latitude regions because clouds profoundly impact the radiation balance there. Over the high interior Antarctic Plateau a large percentage of clouds (> 60 per cent) is represented by thin cirrus clouds, frequently extending along the entire troposphere. The present research program aims to obtain a comprehensive data set for a complete characterization of the atmospheric aerosol particle and thin clouds in the lower troposphere over the East Antarctic Plateau. That means to collect information on their multilayered as well as the micro-physical structure at the PBL. To reach this result and provide an observational over determined data-set, both columnar and in-situ (micro-physical) measurements will be performed. Year-round measurements based on LIDAR, Sun and Star photometer and in-situ aerosol measurements will make possible to study in detail inter-annual and seasonal variation of aerosols over the high, interior Antarctic Plateau. The Antarctic region offers also a unique opportunity to observe and study the natural component of the atmospheric sulphur cycle. Furthermore continuous aerosol and air sampling measurements are planned. Together with a monitoring of the chemical composition changes occurring in the uppermost snow layer and in the hoar crystals our knowledge in the air/snow interaction at the present time will improve. Only after the assessment of reliable air-to-snow and snow-to-atmosphere processes, the changes observed in the ice-core chemical stratigraphy of climatic and environmental proxy-markers can be ascribed to real variations of their atmospheric load caused by changes in sources intensity and/or transport efficiency. Proposed activities could be a great opportunity also for the validation of recent and planned satellite-based LIDAR and AOD measurements. Our research activities will provide substan-tial information to the SCAR project: Antarctica and the Global Climate System (AGCS).

What significant advance(s) in relation to the IPY themes and targets can be anticipated from this project?
Improving of our knowledge about origin, transformation processes, transport pathways, vertical structure, chemical-physical-optical properties of aerosols, and about micro-physical and radiative properties, and multilayered structure of thin clouds over the East Antarctic Plateau.Chemical and physical characterization of the aerosol samples, besides providing information about transport and scavenging processes of Antarctic background aerosol, will be used to improve the interpretation of changes in the past atmosphere as revealed by the chemical stratigraphy of the EPICA-Dome C ice core.Building up of a laboratory and a long-term instrumental setup for continuously investigate the physical and chemical processes at the surface and into the troposphere.Model activity on quantification of aerosol and water vapour and their transport pathways.

What international collaboration is involved in this project?
Different institutions will organize the joint research program, specifically the ISAC – CNR Bologna, University of Florence, and IFAC - CNR Florence from Italy, the LGGE - Grenoble from France, the AWI - Bremerhaven from Germany, the FMI - Helsinki from Finland, and the KNMI de Bilt from Holland,as core institutions.

FIELD ACTIVITY DETAILS

Geographical location(s) for the proposed field activities:
The planned activities are concentrated at Dome Concordia (75° 06’ 06’’ S, 123° 23’ 42’’ E, 3233 m a.s.l.), at the joint Italian – French Research Base at the East Antarctic Plateau. A special clean air facility for the scientific purpose it is planned to be installed.

Approximate timeframe(s) for proposed field activities:
Arctic: n/a
Antarctic: 03/07 – 02/09            

Significant facilities will be required for this project:
Logistic support will be given by the Italian and French Polar Research Programs for the installation of the whole equipment during the Antarctic summer season 2006/07.It is planned to continue the program longer than IPY activity.Other projects on atmospheric physics will be able to share the clean air facility.

Will the project leave a legacy of infrastructure?
The clean air facility will be realized to be useful to the whole atmospheric physics at Dome C. The infrastructures will be provide by national polar research institutions, like IPEV, PNRA and AWI, after the approval by the Dome Concordia Steering Committee.

How is it envisaged that the required logistic support will be secured?
Consortium

Has the project been "endorsed" at a national or international level?
Not yet. A first draft of the project was prepared and presented to the Dome Concordia Steering Committee after a meeting held in Bologna in October 2004. Contacts took place with the Italian and German IPY Committees, and will be taken soon with the other's one.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND STRUCTURE

Is the project a short-term expansion (over the IPY 2007-2008 timeframe) of an existing plan, programme or initiative or is it a new autonomous proposal?
The project will be in the frame of the research activities at Dome Concordia. The IPY is a great opportunity to start this long-term observation, because of the need to coordinate activities and interest from different polar research programs. Their capability and facilities will be merged for developing this long-term activity.

How will the project be organised and managed?
The general goal is to built up a laboratory and an instrumental setup for continuously monitoring physical, chemical and optical characteristics of the aerosol particle population over the East Antarctic Plateau and their seasonal and inter-annual variability. As general methodology several parameters will be determined using different techniques, so that as far as possible an observational over determined data-set will be obtained. Information will derive by other research programs (on PBL, radiative fluxes, etc.). Activities will be conducted in an external "clean area". Tracers of the air masses (Be, Pb210, Rn222) will be monitored to evaluate long-range transport and tropospheric - stratospheric air exchanges.

What are the initial plans of the project for addressing the education, outreach and communication issues outlined in the Framework document?
The plan for addressing education, outreach and communication issues will be discussed during the second organizing workshop at the beginning of 2005. An important point will be in any case the web page, that will include preliminary data mainly in graphical form.

What are the initial plans of the project to address data management issues (as outlined in the Framework document?
Each group will be responsible of the data acquired/obtained with their instrumentation. Data will be stored in the POLAR-AOD network data bank in Pisa directly or through a link to the local archive. Metadata information will be realized (cfr. POLAR-AOD EoI). Restrictions will be applied for a period of one-two years.

How is it proposed to fund the project?
At the moment Italian and German research activities will be funded until 2007 by CSNA and AWI respectively, while funds for French and Finnish participation are till under discussion and should be applied for from national agencies. Additional costs concerning the building of the 'clean air facility' and the Radom are under discussion.

Is there additional information you wish to provide?
A second workshop will be planned in March 2005 to completely define the scientific program, the measurement activities, the time schedule and the logistical needs. The possibility to concentrate the most part of the atmospheric physics activities in the 'clean air facility' will be carefully investigated with other scientific teams, IPEV and Consorzio Antartide in order to optimize man-power and resources mainly during the winter period. For the operation of the measurements during the polar night four persons (scientist and engineer) are needed. They could be shared partially with the other atmospheric research activities.

PROPOSER DETAILS

Dr  Vito Vitale
ISAC-CNR
Via Gobetti, 101, Bologna
I-40129
Italy

Tel: + 39 051 6399595
Mobile: no
Fax: + 39 051 6399652
Email:

Other project members and their affiliation