Collaborative Research: Emergency Funding for Repair of the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences Tudor Hill Marine Atmospheric Observatory

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The marine troposphere plays important roles in the global geochemical cycles of many elements, in the global distribution of organic compounds, nutrients, microbes and pollutants, and in the global radiation budget. The ability to observe and sample gases, aerosol and precipitation in the marine boundary layer is central to providing a better understanding of these processes. By virtue of its location in the western North Atlantic Ocean, Bermuda has been a key location for numerous field studies of the marine troposphere. A marine atmospheric observatory, consisting of a 23-m high atmospheric sampling tower and site laboratories, was first established at Tudor Hill, Bermuda, in 1987 as part of the NSF-funded Atmosphere Ocean Chemistry Experiment. NSF support, the Tudor Hill tower and site laboratories were repaired and refitted in 2003, and have since been operated and maintained as a community research facility. Unfortunately, during the passage of Hurricane Gonzalo, a category 2 storm when it made landfall over Bermuda on 17-18 October 2014, the tower was damaged beyond repair. This award will enable the tower to be replaced to ensure that the research activities at the facility will continue. This project is expected to make significant educational contributions at a number of levels, including undergraduate education opportunities through the NSF-funded Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program at the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences (BIOS), through other courses taught at BIOS, and by the inclusion of postgraduate students in external scientific research activities. The Tudor Hill facility will continue to feature in BIOS public outreach activities, public lectures, weekly tours, and the annual open-house day. The Tudor Hill Atmospheric Observatory is currently funded to operate through to August, 2017. Through this award, the destroyed tower will be replaced so that these operations can continue. Presently the facility hosts long-term measurement activities in support of research and monitoring being conducted by a number of federal agencies and universities. Additionally, sampling activities for one NSF-funded project are due to commence later in 2015 and four additional prospective projects which would make use of the facility are currently awaiting funding decisions. Since NSF support commenced in 2003, research conducted at the facility to date has substantively contributed to at least 25 published peer-reviewed papers and to numerous presentations at US and international conferences. The facility has also been utilized as a critical mid-oceanic location for monitoring greenhouse gases, ozone and air column properties through the activities of NOAA and NASA. Collectively, these efforts have contributed to a better understanding of the biogeochemical and physical processes in the marine atmosphere. The continued operation and maintenance of the Tudor Hill site will facilitate research concerning the chemistry and physics of the marine troposphere and ocean-atmosphere exchange processes - topics that are central to international research initiatives such as IGAC, SOLAS and GEOTRACES. Findings from such studies can be expected to improve prediction and mitigation of the effects of anticipated future climatic and environmental change. In a regional context, the Tudor Hill facility will complement ongoing time-series research in the Sargasso Sea, including Hydrostation S and the Bermuda Atlantic Time Series Station..