Articles | Volume 26, issue 19
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-13885-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-13885-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
05 Oct 2026
Research article |
| 05 Oct 2026
| 05 Oct 2026
Synthesis of the tethered balloon system and other TRACER campaign measurements elucidates aerosol property profiles
Integrated Discovery Sciences Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, 99352, USA
Jian Wang
Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering Department, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, 63130, USA
Israel Silber
Integrated Discovery Sciences Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, 99352, USA
Nurun Nahar Lata
Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, 99352, USA
Gregory W. Vandergrift
Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, 99352, USA
Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering Department, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, 63130, USA
Department of Atmospheric Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, 77843, USA
Department of Atmospheric Science, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 80521, USA
Sarah D. Brooks
Department of Atmospheric Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, 77843, USA
Michael P. Jensen
Environmental and Climate Sciences Department, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY, 11973, USA
Environmental and Climate Sciences Department, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY, 11973, USA
Damao Zhang
Integrated Discovery Sciences Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, 99352, USA
Darielle Dexheimer
Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM, 87185, USA
Beat Schmid
Integrated Discovery Sciences Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, 99352, USA
Zezhen Cheng
Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, 99352, USA
Swarup China
Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, 99352, USA
Data sets
Tethered Balloon System (TBS) Merged Data Product (TBSMERGED) Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) user facility https://doi.org/10.5439/1862017
NOAA Next Generation Radar (NEXRAD) Level 2 Base Data NOAA National Weather Service (NWS) Radar Operations Center https://doi.org/10.7289/V5W9574V
Short summary
Tethered balloon measurements from 149 flights during DOE ARM TRACER over Houston characterize vertical aerosol and CCN structure. Back-trajectory clustering identifies three air mass types – marine, mixed, and urban – with distinct profiles shaped by boundary-layer depth and coastal circulations. A case study shows mesoscale advection simultaneously transforms thermodynamic and aerosol conditions, underscoring the need to constrain meteorology before attributing cloud changes to aerosol forcing.
Tethered balloon measurements from 149 flights during DOE ARM TRACER over Houston characterize...
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