9712611 Devara Description: This award supports the "U.S.- India Cooperative Research: Investigations of Atmospheric Chemistry-Aerosols-Climate Interactions". The collaborators are V. Ramaswamy, NOAA/Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL), Princeton, New Jersey and P.C.S. Devara, Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune, India. The PIs will study aerosols and the effects of radiative forcing on the weather and climate systems. Using a unique long-term data set collected at IITM, the PIs will employ sophisticated radiative transfer modeling tools available at the GFDL to determine the radiative effects of aerosols,typical of Indian subcontinental urban locations. This research will improve current estimates of radiative forcing which are inadequate due to limited knowledge of physical-chemical variability in atmospheric composition at tropical urban sites. Scope: This award provides initial support for a new U.S.-India research collaboration on the environment and global change. The field of investigation is critical for the South Asia region. This project promises to stimulate further international collaborative research in a strategically important area. The project is supported by NOAA/GFDL and the Division of International Programs. ***
