- ACPC was established in 2007 to obtain a quantitative understanding of the interactions between aerosol, clouds, and precipitation and their role in the climate system. ACPC is a coordinated effort encompassing six strategic elements:
- a focus on regimes where there are strong indications of aerosol-cloud-precipitation interactions;
- an emphasis on statistical characterizations of aerosol-cloud-precipitation interactions;
- the development of approaches that leverage past and ongoing activities;
- thorough integration of modeling and observational activities;
- a hierarchical approach to both modeling and data collection/analysis; and
- continued development of measurement techniques
In addition, a new component of ACPC is the SAT-ACPC effort, which seeks to address specifically how satellite-based measurements can be used to improve the understanding of the role of aerosols in precipitations processes. ACPC is currently working to expand the GoAmazon2014 research field campaign sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy. The Amazon Basin has strong coupling between terrestrial ecosystems and the hydrologic cycle. GoAmazon will provide the needed observations to study how aerosols and surface fluxes influence cloud cycles under clean and polluted conditions.