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Justin Langridge
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Project title: Optical properties and direct radiative impacts of atmospheric aerosolsSponsor: Michael Hardesty Justin Langridge is a visiting postdoctoral fellow in the NOAA Chemical Sciences Division’s Cloud and Aerosol Processes group. His research at CIRES focuses on the optical properties of atmospheric aerosols and in particular the nature of light absorption by organics in the particle phase. Aerosol particles affect the climate system in a number of important ways, one of which is by directly interacting with solar radiation. The relative extent to which aerosols absorb versus scatter incoming radiation determines, in part, whether they lead to net warming or cooling of the atmosphere. Combustion derived soot has traditionally been considered the sole light absorbing, and thus positive forcing, component of ambient aerosols. However, this assumption has recently been cast into doubt by the discovery of the widespread abundance of additional light absorbing carbonaceous material in atmospheric particles, generically termed brown carbon. At present the optical properties and climate forcing importance of brown carbon aerosol are poorly understood. Justin’s research will examine the absorption properties of brown carbon through field and laboratory studies using newly developed spectroscopic instrumentation.
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