ICLASS: Integrated Cloud, Land-surface, and Aerosol System Study

The ICLASS vision is to transform our understanding of climate processes and provide more robust model representations of the climate system by integrating new knowledge about clouds and aerosols,

aerosols

Small particles or droplets, such as wildfire smoke, volcanic gases, or salty sea spray, that float in the air. They are emitted by both natural events and human activities.

Source: NASA Global Climate Change Source

and their interactions with each other and the Earth’s surface. This approach combines measurements and data discovery with high-resolution multi-scale modeling to advance the fundamental understanding of processes associated with land-atmosphere-cloud interactions, transitions in cloud populations, the evolution of carbonaceous aerosol populations, and aerosol-cloud interactions.

aerosol-cloud interaction

The interaction of airborne particles (aerosols) with clouds. Scientists study how aerosols affect clouds and how these interactions can impact the Earth's climate.

Source: DOE Source