Atlantic island Observatory
Posted on 3 April 2007
A substantial grant from the National Environment Research Council (NERC) was awarded to Dr Lucy Carpenter and Professor Alastair Lewis, of the Department of Chemistry to set up an atmospheric observatory on Sao Vicente. They are the major partners in a project also involving German and Cape Verdean scientists. In 2004, Professor Lewis led a team of 40 scientists from seven UK universities to the Azores to take part in the largest international atmospheric field campaign of its type ever attempted.
The observatory monitors and measures changes in the chemical, biological and physical composition of the tropical ocean and the air immediately above it, the marine boundary layer.
"The tropical marine boundary layer acts as an engine room for the self-cleansing of the Earth’s atmosphere, but we know little about what’s going on there," said Professor Lewis. "These regions are also a ‘net sink’ for low-level ozone and many dangerous greenhouse gases; that is, where they are broken down, rather than created. The potential for atmospheric and oceanic change is large in this region, so the information we get from the observatory will be invaluable."
The researchers aim to create a high quality international facility and start a long-term UK-led atmospheric monitoring programme, providing vital data to the UK and international communities. Measurements of a range of greenhouse and reactive gases began in October 2006, and basic data are already online at www.york.ac.uk/capeverde.
"The Cape Verde observatory will provide a powerful tool for characterising transport and deposition of trace gases, aerosols and dust from Africa to the tropical Atlantic," said Dr Carpenter.
Manuel Inocêncio Sousa, the Cape Verdean Minister of Infrastructure, Transport and the Sea, officially opened the atmospheric observatory on 9 January 2007.
The grant was awarded under the NERC’s Surface Ocean - Lower Atmosphere Study (SOLAS) programme.
About the researchers
Alastair Lewis
Alastair Lewis is a Professor in the Department of Chemistry
Contact
Email: acl5@york.ac.uk
Dr Lucy Carpenter
Dr Lucy Carpenter is a lecturer in the Department of Chemistry
Contact
Email: ljc4@york.ac.uk
Further information
- Find out more about the Cape Verde Atmospheric Observatory
- Studying in the Department of Chemistry