Boundary Later Meteorology
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Subcritical Aerosol-Moisture Feedback (SAMF) Case Study: Self-Organization During Evening Transition
Setting Up the Experiment As I was teaching my environmental air quality course in 2022, a local business was under scrutiny for emissions of a substance – carbon black – that was soiling people’s clothes, pets, cars, and homes. I used some available funds to purchase air quality sensors that could detect aerosol particles (particulate… Continue reading
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When Aerosol Particles Tip the Balance: The Atmosphere’s New Feedback and Storm Initiation
Overview of SAMF: The Subcritical Aerosol-Moisture Feedback The Subcritical Aerosol-Moisture Feedback (SAMF) is a 📖 newly proposed framework that explains how aerosols and moisture interact when the planetary boundary layer (the lowest ~1 km of the atmosphere affected by Earth’s surface) exists in a subcritical state, before deep convection (intense, sustained vertical motion) begins. In… Continue reading
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Seminar Video: Discovery of the Subcritical Aerosol-Moisture Feedback (SAMF)
I recently presented a seminar about my experiences during the 8 April 2024 solar eclipse that explains how SAMF emerged from my data analysis of this event. The seminar is geared toward a general audience, but it presents a good overview for scientists. I’ve embedded the video below; you may want to use the full… Continue reading
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A Layman’s Guide to the Subcritical Aerosol-Moisture Feedback
Introduction In my recent study of the April 8, 2024 North American Solar Eclipse, I was fortunate to witness a rare event: a solar eclipse obscured by smoke. As a meteorologist, my natural curiosity revolved around how the smoke affected the weather. Eclipses produce a unique weather response, lowering the temperature as the moon covers… Continue reading
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Smoke Eclipse Study Unveils Proposed Subcritical Aerosol-Moisture Feedback (SAMF)
Introduction In the recently-published article, “Effects of Smoke on Surface Observations, Turbulence, and Proposed Subcritical Aerosol-Moisture Feedback (SAMF) During the 8 April 2024 Solar Eclipse in Columbus, GA, USA”, my co-author and I present an analysis of how smoke from a prescribed burn modified surface meteorological observations and boundary-layer turbulence during the total solar eclipse🎵… Continue reading