Atmospheric Physics and Chemistry

The composition of the Earth’s atmosphere has undergone extensive change during the last century, with important ramifications for human health, resource management, ecosystem services and the environment. Atmospheric trace constituents (trace gases and aerosols) are key drivers for air quality and climate. Furthermore reactive trace gases (e.g. methane, VOC, NOy, ozone, etc.) control many important feedbacks in the earth system by influencing the oxidizing capacity of the atmosphere and by producing a large fraction of organic aerosol in the atmosphere. Understanding their exchange at the surface-atmosphere interface as well as their transport throughout the planetary boundary layer and mixing into the free troposphere through entrainment processes remains challenging. Sub-grid scale processes governing the atmospheric fate of reactive trace gases are particularly uncertain and directly relate to uncertainties in future projections of climate and air quality. The atmospheric physics and chemistry group at ACINN focuses on the development and field deployment of innovative experimental techniques to quantify the chemical composition of the atmosphere. New concepts are explored that allow studying the exchange of trace constituents and their turbulent atmospheric transport in the atmosphere. You can visit us for more information at the APC group blog.