Observations of Aerosol Conditions Associated with Precipitation Events in the Remote Sierra Nevada Foothills

Recent investigations of atmospheric aerosols have suggested their importance in affecting clouds and precipitation patterns, especially in regions where anthropogenic contributions to aerosol loadings are large. Aerosols entrained into precipitating clouds have been shown to either enhance or suppress precipitation based on the characteristics of the cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) or ice nuclei (IN) introduced. Due to the inherent chemical dependence of CCN activity, the chemical composition of aerosols introduced into precipitating clouds will determine their effect on precipitation. This presentation will utilize ground-based chemical and physical measurements of aerosols and precipitation from multiple winter seasons gathered at Sugar Pine Dam (Foresthill, CA) as part of the CalWater experiment. The coupled behavior of landfalling frontal systems, regional terrain-parallel flow along the windward slopes of the Sierra Nevada (i.e., the Sierra Barrier Jet), and observed aerosol conditions in the Sierra Nevada foothills will be demonstrated and related issues explored. Temporally correlated changes in aerosol chemical composition with approaching winter storms may provide key insights into the evolution of the Sierra Barrier Jet, a dynamic feature that can have a major influence on orographically-forced precipitation in this region, and could provide clues to the coupling of Central Valley pollution with winter-time orographic precipitation episodes (or lack thereof). Gaining an overall understanding of the frequency and magnitude of the entrainment of Central Valley pollutants on winter storm systems will ultimately provide an estimate of how much aerosols affect precipitation in California.