Project Details
Projekt
Umbrella Proposal for HALO-South: The interplay of Clouds, Aerosols and Radiation above the Southern Ocean
Applicant
Professorin Dr. Mira Pöhlker
Subject Area
Atmospheric Science
Term
since 2024
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 522360398
The Southern Ocean (SO) is characterized by particularly clean atmospheric conditions as well as its high coudiness. It is a major factor in the Earth climate system. A variety of fundamental atmospheric processes in the interplay of reactive trace gases, aerosols, clouds and radiation, however, is still widely unknown. Here we propose to conduct a research mission - called HALO-South - with the high altitude long-range aircraft HALO over the Southern Ocean. The mission will take place over the SO, operated from New Zealand, from August to September 2025. This will be at the end of the winter and the onset of the spring in the SO. During this mission, a unique and comprehensive set of instrumentation will be combined to measure selected reactive trace gases, aerosol properties, cloud microphysics, and radiation. The campaign will be embedded in synchronized intensive field activities at ground sites in New Zealand and with the Research Vessel Sonne as well as intensive satellite investigations. HALO-South will provide valuable knowledge on the relation between aerosol particles and clouds in the southern hemisphere from cloud droplet and ice nucleation to the production of cloud and ice active particles partly triggered by increased radiation above clouds and cloud optical properties. These findings will be extrapolated to a larger scale using satellite data and global climate models. The campaign will greatly build on and continue past HALO campaigns with focus on either cloud and aerosol or gas and aerosol properties (e.g., CIRRUS-HL, ACRIDICON, CAFE-EU/BLUESKY, CAFE-Brazil, CAFE-Pacific). This campaign will cover the full atmospheric cycles of aerosol particles and clouds, with a particular focus on mixed-phase clouds, as critically important microphysical processes affecting aerosols and radiation are expected here.
DFG Programme
Infrastructure Priority Programmes
