PhD Proposal: Parker Coye
Monday, April 13, 2026 · 12:30 - 2 PM
In-Person
·
Physics : 401
ADVISOR: Dr. Belay Demoz
TITLE: Optical Characterization of Atmospheric Aerosols in the Baltimore-Washington Region
ABSTRACT: Atmospheric aerosols in the Baltimore–Washington corridor exhibit strong spatiotemporal variability due to diverse local and transported sources, including urban and industrial pollution, wildfire smoke, and marine influence. These aerosols have a wide range of impacts, including effects on air quality, radiative forcing, and the accuracy of overhead remote sensing retrievals. To quantify and interpret those impacts, aerosols must be characterized in terms of particle type, size, chemical mixing state, hygroscopicity, and vertical distribution. This proposal seeks to characterize aerosols in this region by combining local observations from deployed remote sensing instrumentation. These include LiDAR observations of extinction, backscatter, depolarization, fluorescence, and water vapor, together with sun-photometer observations of multiwavelength aerosol optical depth. These parameters, along with meteorological context such as boundary-layer evolution and air-mass history, will be used to identify which aerosol types occur under different conditions in the Baltimore–Washington corridor. Parameter measurements will also help distinguish recurring regional regimes from episodic, atypical events. To strengthen this aerosol classification framework, this proposal seeks to develop an elastic backscatter lidar in the mid-wave infrared (MWIR, 3–5 μm), where vertically resolved aerosol observations are virtually nonexistent. This work will evaluate whether MWIR backscatter adds separable information beyond standard UV/visible/near-infrared observables, particularly through its sensitivity to particle size. By integrating MWIR backscatter into a multi-instrument aerosol typing framework, this work aims to determine whether infrared observations improve aerosol discrimination in a complex coastal-urban environment.
TITLE: Optical Characterization of Atmospheric Aerosols in the Baltimore-Washington Region
ABSTRACT: Atmospheric aerosols in the Baltimore–Washington corridor exhibit strong spatiotemporal variability due to diverse local and transported sources, including urban and industrial pollution, wildfire smoke, and marine influence. These aerosols have a wide range of impacts, including effects on air quality, radiative forcing, and the accuracy of overhead remote sensing retrievals. To quantify and interpret those impacts, aerosols must be characterized in terms of particle type, size, chemical mixing state, hygroscopicity, and vertical distribution. This proposal seeks to characterize aerosols in this region by combining local observations from deployed remote sensing instrumentation. These include LiDAR observations of extinction, backscatter, depolarization, fluorescence, and water vapor, together with sun-photometer observations of multiwavelength aerosol optical depth. These parameters, along with meteorological context such as boundary-layer evolution and air-mass history, will be used to identify which aerosol types occur under different conditions in the Baltimore–Washington corridor. Parameter measurements will also help distinguish recurring regional regimes from episodic, atypical events. To strengthen this aerosol classification framework, this proposal seeks to develop an elastic backscatter lidar in the mid-wave infrared (MWIR, 3–5 μm), where vertically resolved aerosol observations are virtually nonexistent. This work will evaluate whether MWIR backscatter adds separable information beyond standard UV/visible/near-infrared observables, particularly through its sensitivity to particle size. By integrating MWIR backscatter into a multi-instrument aerosol typing framework, this work aims to determine whether infrared observations improve aerosol discrimination in a complex coastal-urban environment.