The Aeroce Project

Abstract

The Atmospheric/Ocean Chemistry Experiment (AEROCE), a coordinated multi-institutional atmospheric and marine chemistry research program, will establish a network of four stations in the North Atlantic (Barbados; Bermuda; Mace Head, Ireland; and Tenerife). Using proven measurement technologies, this program will address three major scientific issues: the climatology of background tropospheric ozone in the northern mid-latitudes; the export of combustion sulfur and nitrogen from North America; the flux of mineral aerosol and trace metals to the North Atlantic from the continents. As instruments are developed and proven for continuous field use, we hope to examine a range of atmospheric chemistry issues including the importance of chemistry in the budget of tropospheric ozone, the role of biogenic sources of sulfur in sulfate deposition to the ocean, and the flux of continentally derived organics to the surface of the North Atlantic. Furthermore, this network of chemical observations will provide a framework for developing intensive studies of such specific processes as atmospheric oxidation, the sulfur cycle, and heterogeneous removal.