Ship Based Projects

The oceans cover most of our planet´s surface and they can act as both sources and sinks for atmospheric volatile organic compounds. Our group has deployed GC-MS and PTR-MS measurement systems on various research vessels to characterize marine boundary layer air, crossing the Southern Atlantic, Tropical Atlantic and Southern Indian Oceans. Most recently we took part in the AQABA (Air Quality and Climate Change in the Arabian Basin) campaign which took us from Southern France, through the Suez canal, Red Sea, Indian Ocean and Arabian Gulf, returning along the same route. While parts of this route showed only influence from natural marine emissions other sections showed strong impacts of anthropogenic pollution.

 

Example Publications

E. Bourtsoukidis, A. Pozzer, T. Sattler, V. Matthaios, L. Ernle, A. Edtbauer, H. Fischer, T. Könemann, S. Osipov, J.D. Paris, E. Pfannerstill, C. Stönner, I. Tadic, D. Walter, N. Wang, J. Lelieveld, and J. Williams. The Red Sea Deep Water is a potent source of atmospheric ethane and propane" Nature Communications – Accepted, 2020.

J. Williams, R. Holzinger, V. Gros, X. Xu, E. Atlas, and D. W. R. Wallace: Measurements of organic species in air and seawater from the tropical Atlantic. Geophys. Res. Letts, 31, L23S06, 2004. 

A. Colomb, V. Gros, S. Alvain, R. Sarda-Esteve, B. Bonsang, C. Moulin, T. Klüpfel, and J. Williams: Variations of atmospheric Volatile Organic Compounds over the Southern Indian Ocean (30°S-49°S). Environmental Chemistry, 6, 70-82, doi: 10.1871/EN8072, 2009.

J. Williams, T. Custer, H. Riede, R. Sander, P. Jöckel, P. Hoor, A. Pozzer, S. Wong-Zehnpfennig, Z. Hosaynali Beygi, H. Fischer, V. Gros, A. Colomb, B. Bonsang, N. Yassaa, I. Peeken, E. L. Atlas, C. M. Waluda, J. A. van Aardenne and J. Lelieveld. Assessing the effect of marine isoprene and ship emissions on ozone, using modelling and measurements from the South Atlantic Ocean. Environ. Chem. 7, 171–182. doi:10.1071/EN09154, 2010.