NASA

Quantification of Mineral Dust Seasonal Dynamics, Regional Features, and Direct Radiative

RO Number 18647
Location Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
Pasadena, CA 91109
Advisor Information
  • Kalashvikova, Olga :: 818-393-0469 :: Olga.V.Kalashnikova@jpl.nasa.gov
Keyword(s) Aerosol ; Dust; Radiative forcing
Citizenship Requirement U.S. Citizens Accepted; Lawful Permanent Residents Accepted; Foreign Nationals Accepted
Description Through multi-angular viewing geometry, the MISR instrument on Terra provides unique constraints on dust properties including the ratio of dust coarse and fine modes and the dust fraction (i.e., fraction of nonspherical particles) in complex dust/pollution/biomass burning mixtures.

The postdoctoral fellow will help to:
1. Investigate linkages between experimentally measured dust properties and atmospheric radiances for selected dust events using available field measurements, new optical dust models, and the top of the atmosphere multi-angular radiances from MISR;
2. Analyze MISR current and new dust products in conjunction with transport model with the goals to:
• Document inter-annual and seasonal variability of loadings and properties of atmospheric dust in the dust sources and downwind;
• Determine climatological linkages between the dust source activities, mid-range, and long-range transport of dust;
• Assess the importance of dust-pollution mixtures from MISR: frequency of the occurrence, evolution during the transport and implications to predicting the radiative forcing of dust.