The Far East Federal University

The study of aerosol particles larger than five microns is of particular interest, but this requires enormous computational power, experts say.
Scientists of the Far Eastern Federal University (FEFU) together with IBM are studying how particles of aerosol, including dust and other contaminants, affect climate change.
"According to the UN experts, aerosol particles are one of the least studied factors affecting the climate change. They reflect sunlight both toward the Earth and open outer space, thereby reducing the flux of solar radiation. This results in the cooling of the Earth surface and the near-surface air layer. However, when interacting with aerosol particles, part of the solar radiation is absorbed by the particles’ substance, which heats the atmosphere. It is still not clear, which of these effects is more,” - the press services cited project manager Evgenia Zubko, a leading research professor of the Natural Sciences School at the FEFU explains.
Of particular interest is the study of particles larger than five microns, but this requires a large computing power. With the help of FEFU methods and IBM resources, scientists will be able to solve this challenge.
For several years, the scientists of the Far East Federal University have simulated the way micron particles of cosmic dust scatter light, and have gained considerable experience in this field. In 2017, they participated in the World Community Grid competition for the IBM volunteer network, which provides unprecedented opportunities for computer simulation. Scientific organizations from all over the world participated in the selection and over 70 applications made it to the finals. The Russian project of the Far East Federal University became one of three winners along with the Emory University (the USA) and the Delft University of Technology (the Netherlands).
The group of researchers included ten scientists of the FEFU: employees, graduate students and senior students. The co-director of the project is the scientific director of the FEFU Nanotechnology Center, professor Kirill Golohvast of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
The team will be assisted by World Community Grid specialists and volunteers, who will conduct calculations and send results to IBM's head office in Chicago (USA) and further to the FEFU. In the framework of the project, the University scientists will also have access to the Weather Channel and the IBM Cloud Object Storage platform. Based on these resources, there will be publications to provide new knowledge about the effect of aerosol particles on the atmosphere.