Tropical adventure for UK scientists
21 Sep 2005 by Evoluted New Media
A team of scientists have been awarded £500,000 to establish a centre in the tropical Atlantic Ocean to monitor ozone gases in the atmosphere
A team of scientists have been awarded £500,000 to establish a centre in the tropical Atlantic Ocean to monitor ozone gases in the atmosphere.
The chemists, from the University of York, will set up an atmospheric observatory on the Cape Verde Islands.
Cape Verde Islands
Dr Alistair Lewis, one of the researchers who will work on the project, said: “This project is a key component in understanding how global changes in atmospheric composition and climate may affect the ocean and biogeochemical processes occurring within it”.
The Islands are situated in the tropical Eastern North Atlantic Ocean, a region which exerts a strong influence on greenhouse gases and clouds as well as being highly sensitive to climate change.
The project will examine long term trends in gases such as ozone, and processes affecting the marine ecosystem. The researchers will launch a two and a half-year study of trace gas, including ozone, nitrogen oxides, and aerosol measurements.
Money for the project was awarded under the NERC's Surface Ocean – Lower Atmosphere Study (SOLAS) programme, with the aim of starting a long-term UK-led atmospheric monitoring programme.
