Articles | Volume 25, issue 18
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-11183-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-11183-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Measurement report
| 
24 Sep 2025
Measurement report |
| 24 Sep 2025
| 24 Sep 2025
Measurement report: Aerosol vertical profiling over the Southern Great Barrier Reef using lidar and MAX-DOAS measurements
School of Geography, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
Lilani Toms-Hardman
Department of Defence Graduate Program, Melbourne, Australia
Alexander Smirnov
Science Systems and Applications, Inc., Lanham, Maryland, USA
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), Greenbelt, Maryland, USA
Daniel P. Harrison
National Marine Science Centre, Southern Cross University, Coffs Harbour, Australia
School of Geosciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
Robyn Schofield
School of Geography, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
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Nana Wei, Eloise A. Marais, Gongda Lu, Robert G. Ryan, and Bastien Sauvage
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 7925–7940, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-7925-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-7925-2025, 2025
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This study uses reactive nitrogen observations from NASA DC-8 research aircraft and the In-service Aircraft for a Global Observing System (IAGOS) campaigns to characterize reactive nitrogen seasonality and composition in the global upper troposphere and to diagnose the greatest knowledge gaps from comparison to a state-of-the-science model, GEOS-Chem, that need to be resolved for climate, nitrogen cycle, and air pollution assessments.
Rebekah P. Horner, Eloise A. Marais, Nana Wei, Robert G. Ryan, and Viral Shah
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 13047–13064, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-13047-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-13047-2024, 2024
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Nitrogen oxides (NOx ≡ NO + NO2) affect tropospheric ozone and the hydroxyl radical, influencing climate and atmospheric oxidation. To address the lack of routine observations of NOx, we cloud slice satellite observations of NO2 to derive a new dataset of global vertical profiles of NO2. We evaluate our data against in situ aircraft observations and use these data to critique the contemporary understanding of tropospheric NOx, as simulated by the GEOS-Chem model.
Robert G. Ryan, Eloise A. Marais, Eleanor Gershenson-Smith, Robbie Ramsay, Jan-Peter Muller, Jan-Lukas Tirpitz, and Udo Frieß
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 7121–7139, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-7121-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-7121-2023, 2023
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We describe the first data retrieval from a newly installed instrument providing measurements of vertical profiles of air pollution over Central London during heatwaves in summer 2022. We use these observations with surface air quality network measurements to support interpretation that an exponential increase in biogenic emissions of isoprene during heatwaves provides the limiting ingredient for severe ozone pollution, leading to non-compliance with the national ozone air quality standard.
Magdalena Okuljar, Juha Sulo, Joel Alroe, Zijun Li, Branka Miljevic, Daniel Harrison, and Zoran Ristovski
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-4869, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-4869, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (ACP).
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The Great Barrier Reef is the largest coral reef system globally, yet the extent to which it contributes to local atmospheric particle loading remains poorly understood. This work focuses on particle formation processes observed during a six-week measurement campaign. Our results show that the reef ecosystem can influence local aerosol formation processes, with implications for regional cloud formation and climate feedbacks in marine ecosystems.
Patrick C. Taylor, Armin Sorooshian, Rei Ueyama, Sebastian Schmidt, Ihab Abboud, Quincy Allison, Kevin Barry, Sebastian Becker, Holly A. Bender, Joseph R. Bennett, James B. Blair, Niklas Bohn, Linette Boisvert, Matthew D. Brown, Roelof Bruintjes, Anthony Bucholtz, Megan Buzanowicz, Brian Cairns, Filippo Calì Quaglia, Eduard Chemyakin, Bo Chen, Gao Chen, Hong Chen, Yu-Wen Chen, Zezhen Cheng, Swarup China, Dan Chirica, Yonghoon Choi, Peter Colarco, Brian Collister, Ewan Crosbie, Maurice J. Cross, Janet Daniels, Paul DeMott, Joshua P. DiGangi, Alcide Giorgio di Sarra, Glenn S. Diskin, Erica K. Dolinar, Eva-Lou Edwards, Samuel Ephraim, Nikolaos Evangeliou, Romanos Foskinis, Francesca Gallo, Lan Gao, José Luis Gómez-Amo, Daisy Gonzalez, Christine Groot Zwaaftink, Pawan Gupta, Ivan Heckman, Michael Hendrickson, Miguel Ricardo A. Hilario, Ken Hirata, Michelle Hofton, Andrew L. Holen, Ulas Im, Alia L. Khan, Ralph Kahn, Alexei V. Korolev, Sonia Kreidenweis, Thomas Krumpen, Nathan Kurtz, Leslie Lait, Bradley Lamkin, Jack Landy, Nurun Nahar Lata, Paul Lawson, Samuel LeBlanc, Sean Leavor, Jing Li, Thorsten Markus, Hal Maring, Andreas H. Massling, Camille Mavis, Flynn McGinnity, Kerry Meyer, Gabriel Mojica, Richard H. Moore, Parker Morris, Giovanni Muscari, Vikas Nataraja, Amin R. Nehrir, Athanasios Nenes, Edward P. Nowottnick, Matteo Ottaviani, Chelsea Parker, Ryan Patnaude, Michael Perez, Russell J. Perkins, Colten Peterson, Alek Petty, Stevie Phothisane, Chris Polashenski, Kerri A. Pratt, Kayla M. Preisler, John Prytherch, David Rabine, Jens Redemann, Ju-Mee Ryoo, Joseph S. Schlosser, Vanessa Selimovic, Michael A. Shook, Morgan Silverman, Henrik Skov, Alexander Smirnov, Cassidy Soloff, Amy Solomon, Snorre Stamnes, Azusa Takeishi, David R. Thompson, K. Lee Thornhill, Rachel Tilling, Michael Tjernström, Monica Tosco, Pedro C. Valdelomar, David Van Gilst, Jian Wang, Zhien Wang, Andrzej Wasilewski, Manfred Wendisch, Brent Wilder, Edward L. Winstead, Albert Wu, Peng Xian, Lauren M. Zamora, Jiaoshi Zhang, Lei Zhang, Lu Zhang, Luke Ziemba, and Paquita Zuidema
Earth Syst. Sci. Data Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2026-241, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2026-241, 2026
Preprint under review for ESSD
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This article summarizes the data sets collected during the Arctic Radiation Cloud aerosol Sea ice Interaction eXperiment (ARCSIX), NASA's most comprehensive Arctic field campaign to date. The overarching goal was to quantify the contributions of surface, clouds, aerosol particles, and precipitation to summer sea ice melt. This paper describes the ARCSIX implementation including the flight strategy, instruments, complementary data sets, access, and usage details.
Xiaoshen Sun, Chris Medcraft, Ramon Braga, Peter Butcherine, Zoran Ristovski, Steven Siems, Christian J. Sanders, and Daniel P. Harrison
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-1729, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-1729, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Atmospheric Measurement Techniques (AMT).
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We propose a novel method to detect and track sea spray particles released during marine cloud brightening (MCB) over the Great Barrier Reef. Using aircraft measurements, we showed that these released particles can be separated from the research ship and aircraft exhaust and tracked as they spread horizontally and vertically. This improves our ability to trace added sea spray aerosols and supports future work on how they may affect clouds.
Rebecca L. Jackson, Matthew T. Woodhouse, Mark Baird, Clothilde Langlais, Mathieu Mongin, Anthony Jones, Daniel Partridge, Luke Harrison, Johanna Horchler, Joel Alroe, Luke Cravigan, Zoran Ristovski, and Daniel P. Harrison
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-2761, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-2761, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Geoscientific Model Development (GMD).
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ACCESS-EMS-GBR is a regional coupled atmosphere-ocean model of the Great Barrier Reef. It simulates aerosol and cloud processes in the atmosphere, plus hydrodynamics, biogeochemistry and ecological processes in the marine environment. Developed to assess the effects of Marine Cloud Brightening on coral bleaching, it is the first regional model able to simulate how aerosol emissions affect clouds, radiation and the underlying reef ecosystem and is ideal for a range of atmosphere-ocean studies.
Johannes Kainz, Daniel P. Harrison, and Fabian Hoffmann
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 26, 9443–9451, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-9443-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-9443-2026, 2026
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Marine Cloud Brightening (MCB) aims to counter global warming. It suggests to increase cloud reflectance by spraying aerosols from which additional cloud droplets can form. We demonstrate that MCB can be applied to cumulus clouds. The impact of aerosol particles released by a single aerosol sprayer using simulations is analyzed. The study draws conclusions on the optimal placement height of the sprayer to optimize aerosol transport, the ability to form new cloud droplets, and the area affected.
Christopher R. Oxford, Haihui Zhu, Maya Mehrotra, Xuan Liu, Yuxuan Ren, Maya Arnott, Isaac Abionum Adimula, Taiye Benjamin Ajibolataiye, Clement Akoshile, Omar Amador-Munoz, Araya Asfaw, Rachel Ying-Wen Chang, Sagnik Dey, Ann M. Dillner, David J. Diner, Connor J. Flynn, Diana Francis, Paterne Gahungu, Rebecca M. Garland, Michel Grutter, Sina Hasheminassab, Fahad Imam, Jhoon Kim, Kristy Langerman, Pei-Chen Lee, Puji Lestari, Po-Hsiung Lin, S. Marcela Loria-Salazar, Tesfaye Mamo, Olga L. Mayol-Bracero, Mogesh Naidoo, Narendra Nelli, Sang Seo Park, Abdus Salam, Bighnaraj Sarangi, Trailokya Saud, Robyn Schofield, Yoav Schechner, Sachchida N. Tripathi, Emily K. West, Eli Windwer, Ming-Tsang Wu, Qiang Zhang, Michael Brauer, Yinon Rudich, Jay R. Turner, and Randall V. Martin
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-3224, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-3224, 2026
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A high-sensitivity balance, controlled temperature and relative humidity chamber, and filter samples collected around the world were used to develop a mass as a function of relative humidity relationship. We subsequently measured the chemical composition of these same samples. A relationship between the chemical composition and water mass was created and used to calculate aerosol water content showing how composition and water content varies worldwide.
Lara S. Richards, Yi Huang, Michael A. Barnes, Chenhui Jin, Fadhlil R. Muhammad, Daniel P. Harrison, and Steven T. Siems
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-2114, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-2114, 2026
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The doldrums are regions of light winds and relatively clear skies found in the tropics. They often occur during severe coral bleaching events on the Great Barrier Reef yet remain poorly understood. This study examines why the doldrums form and persist, identifying how both tropical and extratropical weather systems align to first form the doldrums and that the stalling of these weather systems prolongs the doldrums persistence.
Joel Schafer, Thomas F. Eck, Ilya Slutsker, Pawan Gupta, Mikhail Sorokin, Alexander Sinyuk, and Alexander Smirnov
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-1506, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-1506, 2026
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Wenhui Zhao, Yi Huang, Steven Siems, and Daniel Harrison
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-1251, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-1251, 2026
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Using convection-permitting WRF simulations, this study examines how marine cloud brightening over the GBR depends on aerosol emission strength and spatial distribution. Densely spaced sources generate more uniform aerosol enhancements and stronger cloud microphysical responses than sparsely distributed sources, despite identical emissions. CDNC and optical depth increase strongly, indicating a dominant Twomey effect, while cloud water and coverage respond weakly.
Ramon Campos Braga, Daniel Harrison, Manfred Wendisch, and Rachel Albrecht
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-795, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-795, 2026
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We introduce a new thermodynamic method to quantify water vapor supersaturation (Sv) at warm cloud bases by describing the ascent of a cloudy air parcel as a reversible cloud-adiabatic process. This approach enables the calculation of cloud-base droplet number concentration spectra from in situ airborne measurements without reliance on prescribed updraft velocities or empirical parameterizations. The method is validated using CCN measurements from airborne observations over the Amazon Basin.
Juha Sulo, Magdalena Okuljar, Joel Alroe, Zijun Li, Eva Johanna Horchler, Luke Cravigan, Branka Miljevic, Luke Harrison, Daniel Harrison, and Zoran Ristovski
Aerosol Research Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/ar-2026-9, https://doi.org/10.5194/ar-2026-9, 2026
Revised manuscript accepted for AR
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The Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest coral reef system, and the air above it plays a role in cloud formation. Using direct measurements taken over several years, this study shows that although the reef has low aerosol concentrations, air that passes directly over coral reefs contains more very small particles, providing the first direct evidence that reefs add particles to the atmosphere. These locally produced particles make a measurable contribution to cloud formation over the reef.
Lara S. Richards, Steven T. Siems, Yi Huang, Daniel P. Harrison, and Wenhui Zhao
Weather Clim. Dynam., 7, 109–127, https://doi.org/10.5194/wcd-7-109-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/wcd-7-109-2026, 2026
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By studying the variability of the trade winds during the Great Barrier Reef coral bleaching season, we show that ocean heating and a higher risk of coral bleaching are linked to the breakdown of the trade winds into either calm and clear conditions or a monsoon-like northerly flow. Years with mass coral bleaching are also associated with more "calm and clear" days in the warmest months and fewer strong trade wind days on the fringe months of the bleaching season.
Alexander Sinyuk, Thomas F. Eck, Ilya Slutsker, Jasper Lewis, Petar Grigorov, Alexander Smirnov, Joel S. Schafer, Mikhail Sorokin, Elena Lind, and Pawan Gupta
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-6454, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-6454, 2026
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The new technique for the clouds screening of aerosol optical depth is presented. It employs measurements of the sky radiances at smallest scattering angle to detect cirrus clouds which otherwise are difficult to detect by other methods. The method employs the smoothness of the time series of measurements throughout a day as a criterion for cloud-free conditions. Sharp spikes in the time series are detected and associated with clouds.
Sonya L. Fiddes, Matthew T. Woodhouse, Marc D. Mallet, Liam J. Lamprey, Ruhi S. Humphries, Alain Protat, Simon P. Alexander, Hakase Hayashida, Samuel Putland, Branka Miljevic, and Robyn Schofield
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 16451–16477, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-16451-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-16451-2025, 2025
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The interaction between natural marine aerosols, clouds and radiation in the Southern Ocean is a major source of uncertainty in climate models. We evaluate the Australian climate model using aerosol observations and find it underestimates aerosol number often by over 50%. Model changes were tested to improve aerosol concentrations, but some of our changes had severe negative effects on the larger climate system, highlighting issues in aerosol-cloud interaction modelling.
Benjamin Torres, Luc Blarel, Philippe Goloub, Gaël Dubois, Maria Fernanda Sanchez-Barrero, Ioana Elisabeta Popovici, Fabrice Maupin, Elena Lind, Alexander Smirnov, Ilya Slutsker, Julien Chimot, Ramiro González, Michaël Sicard, Jean Marc Metzger, and Pierre Tulet
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 18, 4809–4838, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-4809-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-4809-2025, 2025
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This study shows that it is possible to automatically monitor atmospheric aerosols from research vessels using automated instruments, following the same standards as AERONET (AErosol RObotic NETwork) land-based stations. By collecting 3 years of data in the Indian Ocean, we demonstrate that high-quality measurements can be made, even on a moving platform. These results open new possibilities for observing aerosols over the ocean and improving satellite data and climate studies.
E. Johanna Horchler, Joel Alroe, Luke Harrison, Luke Cravigan, Daniel P. Harrison, and Zoran D. Ristovski
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 10075–10087, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-10075-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-10075-2025, 2025
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Aerosols play a role in global climate by interacting with incoming solar radiation and by taking up water vapour from the atmosphere to form clouds. Enhancing local-scale cloud cover can reduce sea surface temperatures. Coral bleaching events have increased in the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) as sea surface temperatures have risen. Our study found that the number of aerosols and the cloud-forming ability over the GBR increased if the aerosols were transported from inland Australia rather than the ocean.
Nana Wei, Eloise A. Marais, Gongda Lu, Robert G. Ryan, and Bastien Sauvage
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 7925–7940, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-7925-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-7925-2025, 2025
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This study uses reactive nitrogen observations from NASA DC-8 research aircraft and the In-service Aircraft for a Global Observing System (IAGOS) campaigns to characterize reactive nitrogen seasonality and composition in the global upper troposphere and to diagnose the greatest knowledge gaps from comparison to a state-of-the-science model, GEOS-Chem, that need to be resolved for climate, nitrogen cycle, and air pollution assessments.
Rebekah P. Horner, Eloise A. Marais, Nana Wei, Robert G. Ryan, and Viral Shah
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 13047–13064, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-13047-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-13047-2024, 2024
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Nitrogen oxides (NOx ≡ NO + NO2) affect tropospheric ozone and the hydroxyl radical, influencing climate and atmospheric oxidation. To address the lack of routine observations of NOx, we cloud slice satellite observations of NO2 to derive a new dataset of global vertical profiles of NO2. We evaluate our data against in situ aircraft observations and use these data to critique the contemporary understanding of tropospheric NOx, as simulated by the GEOS-Chem model.
Anton Lopatin, Oleg Dubovik, Georgiy Stenchikov, Ellsworth J. Welton, Illia Shevchenko, David Fuertes, Marcos Herreras-Giralda, Tatsiana Lapyonok, and Alexander Smirnov
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 4445–4470, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-4445-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-4445-2024, 2024
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We compare aerosol properties over the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology campus using Generalized Retrieval of Aerosol and Surface Properties (GRASP) and the Micro-Pulse Lidar Network (MPLNET). We focus on the impact of different aerosol retrieval assumptions on daytime and nighttime retrievals and analyze seasonal variability in aerosol properties, aiding in understanding aerosol behavior and improving retrieval. Our work has implications for climate and public health.
Wenhui Zhao, Yi Huang, Steven Siems, Michael Manton, and Daniel Harrison
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 5713–5736, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-5713-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-5713-2024, 2024
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We studied how shallow clouds and rain behave over the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) using a detailed weather model. We found that the shape of the land, especially mountains, and particles in the air play big roles in influencing these clouds. Surprisingly, the sea's temperature had a smaller effect. Our research helps us understand the GBR's climate and how various factors can influence it, where the importance of the local cloud in thermal coral bleaching has recently been identified.
Robert G. Ryan, Eloise A. Marais, Eleanor Gershenson-Smith, Robbie Ramsay, Jan-Peter Muller, Jan-Lukas Tirpitz, and Udo Frieß
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 7121–7139, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-7121-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-7121-2023, 2023
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We describe the first data retrieval from a newly installed instrument providing measurements of vertical profiles of air pollution over Central London during heatwaves in summer 2022. We use these observations with surface air quality network measurements to support interpretation that an exponential increase in biogenic emissions of isoprene during heatwaves provides the limiting ingredient for severe ozone pollution, leading to non-compliance with the national ozone air quality standard.
Ruhi S. Humphries, Melita D. Keywood, Jason P. Ward, James Harnwell, Simon P. Alexander, Andrew R. Klekociuk, Keiichiro Hara, Ian M. McRobert, Alain Protat, Joel Alroe, Luke T. Cravigan, Branka Miljevic, Zoran D. Ristovski, Robyn Schofield, Stephen R. Wilson, Connor J. Flynn, Gourihar R. Kulkarni, Gerald G. Mace, Greg M. McFarquhar, Scott D. Chambers, Alastair G. Williams, and Alan D. Griffiths
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 3749–3777, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-3749-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-3749-2023, 2023
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Observations of aerosols in pristine regions are rare but are vital to constraining the natural baseline from which climate simulations are calculated. Here we present recent seasonal observations of aerosols from the Southern Ocean and contrast them with measurements from Antarctica, Australia and regionally relevant voyages. Strong seasonal cycles persist, but striking differences occur at different latitudes. This study highlights the need for more long-term observations in remote regions.
M. White, X. Huang, N. Langenheim, T. Yang, R. Schofield, M. Young, S. J. Livesley, S. Seneviratne, and M. Stevenson
ISPRS Ann. Photogramm. Remote Sens. Spatial Inf. Sci., X-4-W3-2022, 269–276, https://doi.org/10.5194/isprs-annals-X-4-W3-2022-269-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/isprs-annals-X-4-W3-2022-269-2022, 2022
Alexander Sinyuk, Brent N. Holben, Thomas F. Eck, David M. Giles, Ilya Slutsker, Oleg Dubovik, Joel S. Schafer, Alexander Smirnov, and Mikhail Sorokin
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 4135–4151, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-4135-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-4135-2022, 2022
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This paper describes modification of smoothness constraints on the imaginary part of the refractive index employed in the AERONET aerosol retrieval algorithm. This modification is termed relaxed due to the weaker strength of this new smoothness constraint. Applying the modified version of the smoothness constraint results in a significant reduction of retrieved light absorption by brown-carbon-containing aerosols.
Zhenyi Chen, Robyn Schofield, Melita Keywood, Sam Cleland, Alastair G. Williams, Alan Griffiths, Stephen Wilson, Peter Rayner, and Xiaowen Shu
Atmos. Chem. Phys. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-2022-104, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-2022-104, 2022
Revised manuscript not accepted
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This study studied the marine boundary layer (MBL) process and aerosol properties in the Southern Ocean using miniMPL, ceilometer and sodar. Compared to the gradient method, the Image Edge Detection Algorithm provides more reliable boundary layer height estimations, especially when a convective MBL with stratification existed. The diurnal characteristic of BLH with the veering of the wind vector was also observed. Under the continental sources, the MBL maintained a well-mixed layer of 0.3 km.
Sonya L. Fiddes, Matthew T. Woodhouse, Steve Utembe, Robyn Schofield, Simon P. Alexander, Joel Alroe, Scott D. Chambers, Zhenyi Chen, Luke Cravigan, Erin Dunne, Ruhi S. Humphries, Graham Johnson, Melita D. Keywood, Todd P. Lane, Branka Miljevic, Yuko Omori, Alain Protat, Zoran Ristovski, Paul Selleck, Hilton B. Swan, Hiroshi Tanimoto, Jason P. Ward, and Alastair G. Williams
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 2419–2445, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-2419-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-2419-2022, 2022
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Coral reefs have been found to produce the climatically relevant chemical compound dimethyl sulfide (DMS). It has been suggested that corals can modify their environment via the production of DMS. We use an atmospheric chemistry model to test this theory at a regional scale for the first time. We find that it is unlikely that coral-reef-derived DMS has an influence over local climate, in part due to the proximity to terrestrial and anthropogenic aerosol sources.
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Short summary
Measurements of aerosol vertical distribution are key for understanding how they interact with clouds and sunlight. Such measurements are currently lacking at the Great Barrier Reef, limiting our ability to validate climate models in this sensitive, ecologically rich environment. Here we use a range of techniques to quantify the vertical variation of aerosols above the Great Barrier Reef for the first time, using the comparison of techniques to also infer aerosol spatial variation.
Measurements of aerosol vertical distribution are key for understanding how they interact with...
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