Objectives & Goals

A set of minimum and enhanced science objectives, geophysical variables, and observables has been identified for the AOS mission.

Click on the numbers for more information.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Landscape
  1. Low Cloud Feedback
  2. High Cloud Feedback
  3. Convective Storm System
  4. Cold Cloud & Precipitation
  5. Aerosol Attribution and Air Quality
  6. Aerosol Redistribution
  7. Aerosol Direct Effect and Absorption
  8. Aerosol Indirect Effect
  • Objective 1: Cloud Feedbacks for Low Clouds
  • Objective 2: Cloud Feedbacks for High Clouds
  • Traceability to Decadal Survey:
    • C-2a: Reduce uncertainty in low and high cloud feedback by a factor of 2.
    • C-2h: Reduce the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fifth Assessment Report (AR5) total aerosol radiative forcing uncertainty by a factor of 2.
  • Objective 3: Storm Dynamics for Convective Storms
  • Traceability to Decadal Survey:
    • C-2a: Reduce uncertainty in low and high cloud feedback by a factor of 2.
    • C-2h: Reduce the IPCC AR5 total aerosol radiative forcing uncertainty by a factor of 2.
    • W-4a: Measure the vertical motion within deep convection to within 1 meters per second (m/s) and heavy precipitation rates to within 1 millimeters per hour (mm/h) to improve model representation of extreme precipitation and to determine convective transport and redistribution of mass, moisture, momentum, and chemical species.
  • Objective 4: Cold Cloud and Precipitation Processes
  • Traceability to Decadal Survey:
    • C-2a: Reduce uncertainty in low and high cloud feedback by a factor of 2.
    • C-2h: Reduce the IPCC AR5 total aerosol radiative forcing uncertainty by a factor of 2.
  • Objective 5: Aerosol Attribution and Air-Quality
  • Objective 6: Aerosol Redistribution
  • Traceability to Decadal Survey:
    • W-5a: Improve the understanding of the processes that determine air pollution distributions and aid estimation of global air pollution impacts on human health and ecosystems by reducing uncertainty to <10% of vertically-resolved tropospheric fields (including surface concentrations) of speciated particulate matter (PM), ozone (O3), and nitrogen dioxide (NO2).
  • Objective 7: Aerosol Direct Effect and Absorption
  • Objective 8: Aerosol Indirect Effect
  • Traceability to Decadal Survey:
    • C-2a: Reduce uncertainty in low and high cloud feedback by a factor of 2.
    • C-2h: Reduce the IPCC AR5 total aerosol radiative forcing uncertainty by a factor of 2.