Chief Scientist for the Atmospheric Science Program
2011-BNL-EE533EECA-Budg [KP1205030]
P.I.: Stephen E. Schwartz

In recognition of the importance of aerosol-radiative forcing of climate change, the Department of Energy (DOE) Atmospheric Science Program (ASP) conducts a research program to improve understanding and model-based representation of the processes controlling aerosol loading, distribution, and physical and chemical properties relevant to the influence of aerosols on climate. This proposal outlines the duties and responsibilities of the Chief Scientist of the program. There are both external and internal duties. Externally, the Chief Scientist attends and gives presentations at various national and international fora in order to represent ASP officially, to discover information which would help ASP, to publicize ASP accomplishments, and participates, as appropriate, in interagency activities such as that of the Climate Change Science Program. Internally, the Chief Scientist provides scientific leadership and vision to the program; enhances, facilitates, and promotes application of the research conducted in the program; provides leadership and guidance to program participants regarding the direction and course of the science conducted in the program; draws generalizations and conclusions from the work as reflected in the research of the several investigators; facilitates communication among program participants; regularly interacts with the DOE Program Managers responsible for ASP to assure that the program is meeting the needs and expectations of DOE and to convey program activities, accomplishments, and requirements to these Program Managers; and, arranges and leads meetings of the ASP Science Team and others, and of smaller groups as required. The Chief Scientist office is also responsible for maintaining the program website.

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Chief Scientist for the DOE Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Program
2011-BNL-EE618EECA-Budg [KP1205010]
P.I.: Warren J. Wiscombe

This proposal outlines the duties and responsibilities of the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Program Chief Scientist and his team. There are both external and internal duties. Externally, the Chief Scientist Team interacts with the larger climate modeling and Earth observation communities. Since a critical goal of ARM is to improve the representation of clouds and radiation in Global Climate Models (GCMs), the Chief Scientist Team orchestrates a timely and pro-active interface between ARM and the GCM community who use or could use ARM data and facilities. The Chief Scientist outreaches to scientific groups and federal agencies to offer the services of the ARM Climate Research Facility (ACRF) user facility. The Chief Scientist attends and gives presentations at various national and international fora in order to represent ARM officially, to discover information which would help ARM, and to publicize ARM accomplishments. Internally, the Chief Scientist guides and influences the scientific strategy of the ARM program. This includes: Advocating for and helping develop new scientific and instrumental initiatives including Focus Groups; advising Department of Energy (DOE) Headquarter managers, the Science and Infrastructure Steering Committee (SISC), and the Infrastructure Management Board on the scientific and instrumental path forward; organizing the scientific content of the ARM Science Team Meeting (STM); updating the ARM Science Plan as required; spurring the production of one-page ARM research highlights; organizing the Sunset Committee to recommend elimination or repurposing of poorly used ARM assets; and, serving on the ACRF Board which reviews ARM field campaign proposals. The Chief Scientist also organizes and sets goals for the ARM Science Team Working Groups, and attends their meetings. The ARM Chief Scientist’s Office is comprised of: the Chief Scientist; four Associate Chief Scientists (two external to Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL)) who interface with specific projects or Working Groups within the ARM Program; a BNL staff scientist (formerly a postdoctoral research associate of the Chief Scientist Team) working on cloud tomography; and an Administrator. In addition to advisory and managerial duties, the Chief Scientist and Associate Chief Scientists actively conduct and publish ARM-related research.

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Effects of Aerosols and Clouds on Climate Change Forcing
2011-BNL-EE630EECA-Budg [KP1205030]
P.I.: Robert McGraw

Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) research focuses on determining the effects of aerosols and clouds on climate change forcing and on accurately and efficiently including these effects in models. Aerosol direct and indirect contributions to global-average forcing offset contributions from greenhouse gases and dominate uncertainty of anthropogenic influences on climate. This uncertainty translates to an inability to reliably predict the amount of incremental atmospheric CO₂ that would result in a given increase in global mean temperature and, more generally, the climate response to potential perturbations from changes in future energy needs. BNL research is organized according to four principal activities: (1) field observations and interpretation; (2) radar/lidar/satellite observations and analysis; (3) theory and parameterization; and, (4) climate sensitivity studies. Emphasis is placed on describing aerosol and cloud microphysical properties and their interactions (aerosol direct and indirect effects) and on the chemical/physical/meteorological processes that govern their evolution and impact on the Earth’s energy balance. Aerosol research focuses on process-level understanding in concert with laboratory and field measurements that follow the life cycle of aerosols, their radiative impact, and their effects on cloud properties. Comprehensive cloud studies integrating theory, modeling, and multiple observations from in situ (e.g., aircraft), remote sensing (radar), and coordinated analysis of long-term measurements collected at Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) sites are conducted to investigate the microphysical, radiative, and dynamical properties of clouds and precipitation. These are strongly integrated activities all of which contribute to process-level understanding and provide the science foundation to meet Department of Energy (DOE) objectives by improving overall understanding of how aerosol-cloud direct and indirect effects affect the Earth's radiant-energy balance and by quantifying the degree to which changes in aerosol and cloud properties offset the positive forcing from greenhouse gases.

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Statistical Approaches to Aerosol Dynamics for Climate Simulation
2011-BNL-EE619EECA-Budg [KJ0403000]
P.I.: Robert L. McGraw

The quadrature method of moments (QMOM), developed in recent years in collaborations between Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) scientists and The State University of New York at Stony Brook (SUNY-SB) mathematicians, provides a statistically-based alternative to modal and sectional methods for aerosol simulation. Key moments of the aerosol population, including number, mass, and mixed moments variances and co-variances, are tracked in place of the distribution itself. The new approach is highly efficient, yet provides the comprehensive representation of natural and anthropogenic aerosols, and of their mixing states and direct and indirect effects, that the Community Climate System Model (CCSM) will require. This Science Application Partnership with SUNY-SB uses advanced statistical methods for efficient classification of aerosol physical and optical properties and aerosol dynamics, including the evolution of general aerosol-mixing states. Results will guide development of a new QMOM aerosol module suitable for use in climate simulation. For this purpose, BNL will leverage findings from its current science programs related to aerosols (Department of Energy-Atmospheric Science Program [DOE-ASP]), aerosol-cloud interaction (DOE Atmospheric Radiation Measurement [ARM]), and climate simulation (National Aeronautics and Space Administration-Goddard Institute for Space Studies [NASA-GISS]) to the maximum extent possible to meet Climate Change Prediction Program objectives in collaboration with the inter-laboratory science team.

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