People > Dr Ming-Xi Yang

Dr Ming-Xi Yang

Chemical Oceanographer



Contact Details

+44 (0)1752 633100 (switchboard)

miya15/11/2019 01:56:17@pml.ac.uk

Transport of gases between the ocean and the atmosphere has profound implications for our environment and the Earth’s climate, such as the oceanic uptake of carbon dioxide, which has buffered us from a higher concentration of this greenhouse gas in the atmosphere but also causing ocean acidification and subsequently impacting society. By bringing atmospheric chemistry and chemical oceanography together at a highly interdisciplinary level I have been able to pioneer and develop novel and improved ways of understanding and monitoring the transport of gases in this growing area of science.

At PML I have spearheaded the development of the Penlee Point Atmospheric Observatory, the first UK observatory designed to study air-sea interaction. This observatory, the fruit of my vision, is a particularly suitable for long-term monitoring of pollutants and greenhouse gases as well as intensive process-based studies through its interaction with the globally unique Western Channel Observatory. There are currently only a few coastal air-sea interaction observatories worldwide and its establishment is contributing to our understanding of how the coastal seas affect the air we breathe and how atmospheric pollutant deposition affects the near shore waters.

More generally I lead in the science areas of atmospheric chemistry (gases and aerosols) and development of novel atmospheric and oceanic measurement systems at PML. Through my research I also drive the long-term observations air-sea exchange (of momentum, heat transfer, carbon dioxide) on UK research vessels, which is critical for understanding the ocean uptake of excess heat and carbon.

Projects

ACRUISE

Atmospheric Composition and Radiative forcing changes due to UN International Ship Emissions regulations (ACRUISE)

Contact: Dr Ming-Xi Yang

Ship emissions are significant sources of polluting aerosols in coastal regions, causing hundreds of thousands of premature deaths per year...

AMT4OceanSatFlux

Atlantic Meridional Transect Ocean Flux from Satellite Campaign (AMT4OceanSatFlux)

Contact: Dr Gavin Tilstone

The AMT4OceanSatFlux project will measure the flux of carbon dioxide (CO2) between the atmosphere and the ocean utilising a state-of-the-art eddy...

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Other key projects

The North Atlantic Climate System Integrated Study (ACSIS)

Ocean Regulation of Climate by Heat and Carbon Sequestration and Transports (ORCHESTRA)

Global Methane Budget (MOYA)


Recent publications

  • Instrument and Data Technician 

    £23,630 per annum 

    Full Time - 3 year Fixed Term Appointment 

    Do you have a background in building/developing scientific instrument systems and providing specialist technical support? Do you want to further your career in one of the UK’s leading marine research laboratories, making crucial steps to understanding how the oceans and marine atmosphere influence air pollution and climate?

    Plymouth Marine Laboratory has a strong track record in world leading Air-Sea Exchange (ASE) research. In recent years, the ASE group has had considerable success establishing a coastal atmospheric research station at Penlee Point (https://www.westernchannelobservatory.org.uk/penlee/) and developing the capability to make autonomous direct measurements of air/sea CO2 exchange from ships (e.g. https://www.westernchannelobservatory.org.uk/autoflux/discovery/). We require a Junior Technologist to help us to build upon these successes.

    As a key member of the ASE team your role will be to maintain and improve remote instrumentation at Penlee and on ships fitted with air/sea flux systems. You will drive forward the automation of remote instrumentation and develop novel methods of data acquisition and delivery using embedded PC technologies (e.g. Raspberry PI) and Python scripting. You will be responsible for data processing and quality control and will contribute to scientific interpretation and research outputs. You will be jointly responsible for the day-to-day running of the ASE laboratory and Penlee facility.

    This post is available immediately and for a fixed term of three years. To explore the post further or for any queries you may have, please contact the air/sea exchange group lead (Dr Tom Bell) via careers@pml.ac.uk 

    For this role we are open to discuss the possibility of reduced hours, flexible working or possible job share.

    Please see the link for our  Employee Benefits

    Closing date: 5pm on Tuesday 10th December 2019

    Interviews will take place on Tuesday 4th February 2020


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Selected key publications

Yang, M., R. Beale, P. Liss, M. Johnson, B. Blomquist, and P. Nightingale, Air–sea fluxes of oxygenated volatile organic compounds across the Atlantic Ocean, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 14, 7499-7517, doi:10.5194/acp-14-7499-2014, 2014.

Yang, M., P. Nightingale, R. Beale, P. Liss, B. Blomquist, and C. Fairall, Atmospheric deposition of methanol over the Atlantic Ocean, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A., 110, 50, 20034–20039, doi: 10.1073/pnas.1317840110, 2013.

Yang, M., B. Huebert, B. Blomquist, S. Howell, L. Shank, C. McNaughton, A. Clarke, L. Hawkins, L. Russell, D. Covert, D. Coffman, T. Bates, P. Quinn, N. Zagorac, A. Bandy, S. de Szoeke, P. Zuidema, S. Tucker, W. Brewer, K. Benedict, and J. Collett, Atmospheric sulfur cycling in the Southeastern Pacific – longitudinal distribution, vertical profile, and diel variability observed during VOCALS-REx, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 11, 5079-5097, doi:10.5194/acp-11-5079-2011, 2011.

Yang, M., B. Blomquist, C. Fairall, S. Archer, and B. Huebert, Air-sea Exchange of Dimethylsulfide (DMS) in the Southern Ocean – Measurements from SO GasEx compared to temperate and tropical regions, J. Geophys. Res., 116, C00F05, doi:10.1029/2010JC006526, 2011.

Yang, M., B. Blomquist, and B. Huebert, Constraining the concentration of the hydroxyl radical in a stratocumulus-topped marine boundary layer from sea-to-air eddy covariance flux measurements of dimethylsulfide, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 9, 9225-9236, 2009.

Yang, M., S. Howell, J. Zhuang, and B. Huebert, Attribution of Aerosol Light Absorption to black carbon, brown carbon, and dust in China – Interpretations of atmospheric measurements during EAST-AIRE, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 9, 2035-2050, 2009.

Other activities

Western Channel Observatory Task Team member

PML Library Committee member