SGER: VOCALS--Clinometer Stabilized MAX-DOAS Measurements of Aerosol Precursor Trace Gases Over the Tropical and Southeast Pacific Ocean

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A novel, clinometer-stabilized Multi-Axis Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (MAX-DOAS) instrument will be deployed and tested aboard the NOAA R/V Ron Brown during the 2008 VOCALS-REx (VAMOS Ocean-Cloud-Atmosphere-Land Study Regional Experiment) field campaign. The objectives are to (1) investigate the physical presence of glyoxal (CHOCHO) and halogen oxides over the Gulf of Mexico, and the Tropical and Southern Hemisphere Eastern Pacific Ocean, (2) develop the MAX-DOAS technique for use from ships, and (3) directly probe one of the most poorly studied atmospheric environments on Earth. Glyoxal, iodine oxide (IO), and bromine oxide (BrO) are directly linked to photochemical hot-spots that produce secondary organic aerosol (SOA), marine particles, and tropospheric ozone depletion, respectively. The MAX-DOAS data will be used in combination with measurements of ultrafine aerosol size distributions, phytoplankton, and other parameters measured from the Ron Brown to study particle formation at the ocean-atmosphere interface.This project will promote the education and training of a graduate student and a postdoctoral researcher, who will participate in the field deployments. The development of MAX-DOAS technology will benefit the atmospheric science community. Broader scientific impacts of this project include a better understanding of the climate effects of secondary organic aerosol, marine particle production, and halogen oxides in the marine troposphere.