Project Summary from DFG GEPRIS:
The impact of aerosols on cloud properties (e.g. droplet size, precipitation rate) and thus the climate system is an important mechanism in the climate system; however, present-day understanding is limited. The project proposed here will contribute to improvements in the understanding of processes, as well as regional diffenceres and patterns. Aerosol-cloud-interactions will be considered at various spatial and temporal scales, using a variety of spatial data sets. Using geostationary satellite data, cloud development will be analysed at a high temporal resolution (15 minute steps). A second project part aims at quantifying the impact of aerosol on cloud properties on regional and global scales using multi-variate statistical methods. Collaboration in method development and data interpretation is planned with the European Climate Monitoring Satellite Application Facility (CMSAF) project and professor Yong-Sang Choi, EWHA, Korea. The multi-scale approach pursued in the proposed project is expected to yield insights that may be of use in the improvement of climate projections.