The Future of Atmospheric Chemistry Research Remembering Yesterday, Understanding Today, Anticipating Tomorrow (2016) / Chapter Skim
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5 Anticipating Tomorrow: Research Priorities in Atmospheric Chemistry
5 Anticipating Tomorrow: Research Priorities in Atmospheric Chemistry
Pages 105-120
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From page 105... ...
Using this community input as its underlying basis, the Committee deliberated extensively and ultimately chose five Priority Science Areas that it believes will drive atmospheric chemistry research over the next decade. In choosing these areas, the Committee prioritized potential research areas based on two criteria -- scientific imperative and societal relevance.
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From page 106... ...
Within each Priority Science Area, the Committee identified key scientific gaps, chosen to be at a level of effort that could be addressed with funding through the NSF proposal process. These key scientific gaps were chosen based on their necessity for addressing the Priority Science Area under which they fall and on their transformative potential, which is a central tenet of research supported by the NSF.
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From page 107... ...
As climate and other conditions continue to change, developing new and quantitative understanding of the fundamental underlying chemistry will be essential for proactively exploring and defining future chemical and dynamical regimes. Actions to Address Key Scientific Gaps A. Quantify reaction rates and understand detailed chemical mechanisms in multi pollutant and multiphase environments that cover the chemical and dynamical regimes from polluted urban to natural remote regions.
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From page 108... ...
Examples include identifying and quantifying changes in the spectroscopy and photochemistry of species (organic and inorganic as well as neutral spe cies and ions) in surface films compared to the gas or bulk phases; elucidat ing reaction mechanisms and products of organic species in thin films under different conditions and mixtures of co-pollutants, including trace metals; and quantifying the partitioning and exchange of species between the gas phase and surface films due to physical and chemical processes.
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From page 109... ...
Examples include understanding how changes in the Brewer-Dobson circulation, driven by changes in ozone and the well mixed greenhouse gases, will affect the distribution of stratospheric species; quantifying the impact of deep convective transport of tropospheric water vapor and other tropospheric constituents on the budgets of chemically and radiatively important species in the stratosphere; and quantifying how transport of stratospheric ozone will impact tropospheric ozone in a changing climate. Approaches and Support Needed • Develop the next generation of accurate, sensitive, and specific measurement capabilities for atmospheric constituents in single-phase and multiphase environments and on surfaces.
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From page 110... ...
A quantitative understanding of these distributions is key for assessing the impacts of atmospheric processes on human and ecosystem health, weather, and climate. Although recent advances have reduced uncertainties, current shortcomings in predicting emissions from both natural and anthropogenic sources remain an issue for developing a predictive capability for atmospheric chemistry.
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From page 111... ...
discussed in Chapters 1.1, 3.1, and 4.4, atmospheric composition and chem As istry is inextricably intertwined with choices made by society and by global change. Examples include understanding how agricultural activities impact emissions and removal of atmospheric constituents following conversion of 111
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From page 112... ...
In global climate models, the effect of an increase in atmospheric aerosol particle concentrations on radiation and the distribution and radiative properties of the Earth's clouds is the most uncertain component of the overall global radiative forcing. Changes in atmospheric dynamics and circulation that are linked to changes in atmospheric composition (e.g., precipitation patterns, monsoon circulations)
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From page 113... ...
Thus the atmospheric chemistry community needs to continue to work with the climate and weather research community in several major areas so that knowledge of the many roles that atmospheric composition plays in climate and weather can be built into climate models. Actions to Address Key Scientific Gaps A. Determine the global distributions and variability of atmospheric trace gases and aerosol particles, and better understand their climate-relevant properties.
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From page 114... ...
discussed throughout this report, developing a predictive understanding As of atmospheric chemistry impacts on climate and weather will rely on devel oping accurate model descriptions of observed processes. Examples include further developing methods to chemically describe a population of aerosol particles and predict their influence on cloud microphysics (see Chapter 3.5)
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From page 115... ...
Advances in atmospheric chemistry provide the data at the core of understanding the identities, sources, and fates of health-related atmospheric gases and particles on individual, local, regional, and/or global scales. Actions to Address Key Scientific Gaps A. Develop mechanistic understanding to predict the composition and transforma tions of atmospheric trace species that contribute to impacts on human health.
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From page 116... ...
Approaches and Support Needed • Develop tools to characterize particle composition over a broad size range from nanometer to micrometer scales, with the ability to differentiate bulk from the surface composition, which may determine bioavailability. • Develop measurement techniques that facilitate high temporal and spatial resolution measurements of a wide variety of gases and particles that may either have direct health impacts or be precursors to those that do, including highly oxidized, multifunctional, and toxic species.
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From page 117... ...
These exchange processes are influenced by human activity and global climate, and are directly tied to the societal issue of natural and managed ecosystem health. In addition, biogeochemical cycles and ecosystem health play a central role in climate by regulating carbon uptake by the biosphere and the exchange of greenhouse gases and aerosol particle precursors.
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From page 118... ...
Actions to Address Key Scientific Gaps A. Quantify the full suite of trace gases and particles deposited from the atmosphere and connect these to ecosystem responses. discussed in Chapter 3.6, much work is needed to address this key scien As tific gap (which is connected with Priority Science Area 2)
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From page 119... ...
• Develop complementary atmospheric chemistry measurements at existing long-term terrestrial (e.g., NSF Long-Term Ecological Research [LTER] , Ameri flux, NEON in the U.S.
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