Abstract: The planetary boundary layer (PBL), the lowest part of the atmosphere, plays a key role in regulating interactions between the land surface, clouds, and atmospheric turbulence. These interactions drive the exchange of energy, moisture, and aerosols, shaping both weather and climate. However, turbulence within the PBL adds complexity to these processes, making them challenging to understand and predict. In this seminar, I will examine how PBL turbulence mediates the "dialogue" between clouds and land, with a focus on the role of surface fluxes and radiation in regulating the coupling between them. Using lidars—laser-based instruments that detect atmospheric particles such as aerosols and clouds—we developed remote sensing algorithms to determine PBL height and cloud properties, offering observational evidence into the mechanisms that drive aerosol transport and cloud formation. These observations help us investigate how cloud-land coupling influences aerosol-cloud interactions, which remain one of the largest uncertainties in climate projections. Finally, I will discuss how these findings inform climate models, with support from artificial intelligence to integrate complex data and refine simulations. By integrating high-resolution field observations with advanced modeling, this research deepens our understanding of how PBL turbulence shapes interactions between clouds and land, a key driver of weather patterns and the climate system.
The Physics Frontiers Centers (PFC) program supports university-based centers and institutes where the collective efforts of a larger group of individuals can enable transformational advances in the most promising research areas. The program is designed to foster major breakthroughs at the intellectual frontiers of physics by providing needed resources such as combinations of talents, skills, disciplines, and/or specialized infrastructure, not usually available to individual investigators or small groups, in an environment in which the collective efforts of the larger group can be shown to be seminal to promoting significant progress in the science and the education of students. PFCs also include creative, substantive activities aimed at enhancing education, broadening participation of traditionally underrepresented groups, and outreach to the scientific community and general public.