Project Description

The goal of this project is to develop a novel Photoacoustic Aerosol Light Absorption and Albedo Spectrometer (PALAAS) for real time, in situ, first principle measurement of aerosol light absorption, scattering, and single scattering albedo spectra. Applications of PALAAS will include research into the optical properties of (1) brown carbon, which is emitted in large quantities by smoldering biomass burning and has largely unknown optical properties; (2) mineral dust, which by mass is the dominant ambient aerosol, and has a complex absorption spectrum; and (3) the connection between aerosol absorption spectra and modification of snow and ice surface albedo spectra due to aerosol deposition.