Dr Jean-Paul Vernier
From
NASA Langley Research Center, National Institute of Aerospace - USA
In residence at
Host scientist
Dr Gwenaël Berthet
PROJECT
Impacts of Pollution, Volcanoes and Wildfires on the Earth's Middle Atmosphere
The Earth’s surface temperature has been rising by ~1.5°C since the industrial area due to the continuous influence of anthropogenic activities and the release of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Over the same period, particulate matters also known as “aerosols” emitted either from human activities (e.g. soots from transportation and power plants) and natural sources (dust, volcanic ash, sea salts) also affected the Earth’s climate system. This project aims to study the properties of aerosols in the middle atmosphere using satellite observations, balloon-borne measurements and numerical simulations. We plan to simulate their behaviors using state-of-the-art aerosol transport models to understand how they affect solar radiation, ozone layer chemistry and what are the main sources and transport pathways. In addition, we plan to analyze balloon-borne measurements obtained during several field campaigns in India since 2015 to test if model simulations can reproduce the vertical extent, observed aerosol size distributions, and other chemical properties of Asian Pollution. Finally, we aim to develop additional aerosol sensors to gather new information on the chemical, physical and optical properties of aerosols transported in the stratosphere. Our research work will focus on the aerosol content at high altitudes (upper troposphere and stratosphere). It will give decision makers and government in Asia scientific basis to explain how upper atmospheric pollution could harm the earth climate system, stratospheric ozone and alter precipitation and why it is important to make some efforts to reduce it. In addition, the alarming increase of extreme wildfires affecting not only people on the ground but with global implications because of smoke transport in the stratosphere is extremely concerning. Our research work, focusing on how wildfires can harm stratospheric ozone and potential affect our climate is extremely important to understand climate changes.