Droplet Measurement Technologies (DMT) applications

Bioaerosols are everywhere in the atmosphere, and they have a significant impact on both the environment and human health – including allergies and the transmission of disease. Because bioaerosols can cause agricultural decline, they also have critical economic implications for our world.

In 1996, the first Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) issued a report that underscored how aerosols and clouds impact radiative fluxes and modulate climate. Their first report and all subsequent reports every seven years have emphasized how the level of scientific understanding (LOSU) remains low. This major gap in our understanding of how aerosols and clouds alter climate continues to drive the need for more widespread and accurate measurements, especially of black carbon (BC) aerosols that contribute to climate warming and clouds that cool the climate.

Clouds are an integral part of the atmosphere, critical components of the hydrological cycle, and a major modifier of climate. Clouds form and develop in complex ways that depend on the characteristics of the ambient aerosol population and on the thermodynamic and dynamic structure of the atmosphere. The hydrologic cycle depends on the formation of precipitation that in turn is directly related to the microphysical properties of clouds. The accuracy of weather forecasting and climate simulations are dependent on how cloud microphysical properties are represented in these models. Instruments from Droplet enable cloud measurements from all over the world, during different seasons and under a wide range of conditions – helping improve weather forecasting and build confidence in models that predict climate change.

Airborne particulate matter has been of environmental concern for decades. Yet nonbiological and biological particles can also significantly impact human health. On a global scale, it’s important to understand how aerosol particles affect air quality and in turn, human health and wellbeing. In fact, studies have found a correlation between daily mortality, daily hospitalization data, and particle concentrations in outdoor and indoor air. This research indicates that airborne particles can pose a global risk – with no respect for geographical boundaries.

Air quality and pollution are global issues. Air pollution can come from natural and anthropogenic sources, posing detrimental effects to both human health and the environment. Because short- and long-term exposure to air pollution has been associated with a wide range of human health effects and environmental threats, it is important to determine the source and transportation of pollution and aerosols.

Diminished visibility is a major cause of traffic accidents on roadways and cancelled or significantly delayed flights at airports. The source of the deterioration in visibility is the presence of aerosol and cloud (fog) particles in sufficient concentrations to attenuate visible radiation. Mitigating the impact of limited visibility requires better understanding the optical properties of aerosols and fog and improved forecasting of such events in order for drivers to be forewarned and airports to better schedule air traffic. Fog, while being a hazard when causing reduced visibility, is also a beneficial source of water in those regions where there is limited precipitation yet significant fog that can be harvested to provide a source of drinking or irrigation water. The efficiency of harvesting fog depends on the fog droplet sizes and the horizontal wind velocity.

As climate change continues to impact cloud formation and development, weather modification efforts worldwide are working to enhance precipitation (e.g., rain and snow) and mitigate hail. To effectively introduce “seeding” material into clouds, you need detailed and accurate information on cloud properties that are particular to a given region and season. In order to know when and where to seed clouds, it’s critical to understand specific aerosol and cloud properties.