Christopher Spells is a Ph.D candidate studying the effects Saharan regions aerosols — specifically Saharan dust and sub-Saharan smoke — have on the atmospheric radiation balance over the tropical Atlantic Ocean. His research involves using satellite observations from the Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI) in conjunction with ground-based and in-situ profile measurements collected during a series of multidisciplinary field intensive field experiments called the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Aerosol and Ocean Science Expeditions (AEROSE). Chris uses this suite of data to improve estimates of radiative flux perturbations due to Saharan region aerosols at the surface and at the top of the atmosphere. He is also interested in the physical, chemical, and biological evolution of Saharan aerosols during transport across the Atlantic Ocean to the South America, Caribbean, and southeastern United States.