1. Goals of the CyCARE experiment
Aerosols influence clouds by changing their colour and their ability to form snow and rain. This interaction between aerosols and clouds is one of the immediate topics of weather and climate research. Cyprus is a unique place where this interaction can be studied especially well, because the island is influenced by a large variety of air pollutants, desert dust, and marine salt particles (See Fig. 1). Cyprus is located in an arid climate zone and, hence, "on the edge" between moderate mid-latitude and dry desert climate. Rain is vital for the island, but annual rainfall changes storngly between years. The eastern Mediterranean is a hot-spot area of climate change but direct measurements of aerosols, clouds and their dynamic interactions in this area are missing.
The CyCARE campaign - a common initiative between the Cyprus University of Technology, Limassol and TROPOS - will fill a gap in the global understanding of aerosol-cloud interaction. The role of different aerosol types on cloud and rain formation will be determined. These investigations will help answering the question how rain patterns will develop in future and what the effect of climate change on arid regions might be.