Air-sea gas exchange

The transport of gases between the ocean and atmosphere has profound implications for our environment and the Earth's climate. There are many complex processes involved in air-sea gas exchange and understanding them is critical to future climate change scenarios.

The Air-Sea Exchange (ASE) group focuses on the processes that control gas and particle exchange between the ocean and atmosphere.

Air-sea exchange is important for the cycling of gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, dimethylsulfide and ammonia. These compounds are important for our climate because they are either greenhouse gases or influence the production and growth of particles in the atmosphere that reflect solar radiation away from the Earth’s surface.

We also study the air-sea exchange processes relevant to ozone, particles and volatile organic compounds, all of which are relevant to our understanding of how the ocean influences atmospheric processing and air pollution.

We established the Penlee Point Atmospheric Observatory, an ideal platform for us to study the interactions between the ocean and the atmosphere.

Our big research questions are:

What are the processes at the ocean/atmosphere interface that control the air-sea transfer of gases and particles?
What are the key biological and chemical processes in the surface ocean that control the concentrations of climate- and pollution-relevant trace gases?
How are the atmospheric emissions from ships and the regulation of these emissions influencing the marine environment?

Making a difference

Our work helps to improve understanding of the role that the oceans play in the Earth system. Our data is used within models to understand how the air-sea fluxes of gases might change in response to various future scenarios including changes in marine biota, ocean acidification, warming and other stressors.

Further information

Please feel free to contact Dr Tom Bell or other members of the group if you are interested in working or studying within the group.

Events

PML is hosting the 8th International Symposium on Gas Transfer at Water Surfaces, 19-20 May 2020. See https://www.pml.ac.uk/GTWS2020 for further information.

Projects

Completed

ESA-SOLAS - OceanFlux Greenhouse Gases

Contact: Professor Philip Nightingale

Transport of gases between the ocean and the atmosphere, known as ‘air-sea gas exchange’, have profound implications for our...

Radiatively Active Gases from the North Atlantic RegiOn and Climate Change (RAGNARoCC)

Completed

Related recent publications

Shutler, JD; Wanninkhof, R; Nightingale, PD; Woolf, DK; Bakker, DCE; Watson, A; Ashton, I; Holding, T; Chapron, B; Quilfen, Y; Fairall, C; Schuster, U; Nakajima, M; Donlon, CJ. 2019 Satellites will address critical science priorities for quantifying ocean carbon. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. 9, pp. https://doi.org/10.1002/fee.2129
View publication
Kitidis, V; Shutler, JD; Ashton, I; Warren, M; Brown, IJ; Findlay, HS; Hartman, SE; Sanders, R; Humphreys, M; Kivimäe, C; Greenwood, N; Hull, T; Pearce, D; McGrath, T; Stewart, BM; Walsham, P; McGovern, E; Bozec, Y; Gac, J-P; van Heuven, SMAC; Hoppema, M; Schuster, U; Johannessen, T; Omar, A; Lauvset, SK; Skjelvan, I; Olsen, A; Steinhoff, T; Körtzinger, A; Becker, M; Lefevre, N; Diverrès, D; Gkritzalis, T; Cattrijsse, A; Petersen, W; Voynova, YG; Chapron, B; Grouazel, A; Land, PE; Sharples, J; Nightingale, PD. 2019 Winter weather controls net influx of atmospheric CO2 on the north-west European shelf. Scientific Reports, 9 (1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-56363-5
View publication
Woolf, DK; Shutler, JD; Goddijn‐Murphy, L; Watson, AJ; Chapron, B; Nightingale, PD; Donlon, CJ; Piskozub, J; Yelland, MJ; Ashton, I; Holding, T; Schuster, U; Girard‐Ardhuin, F; Grouazel, A; Piolle, JF; Warren, M; Wrobel‐Niedzwiecka, I; Land, PE; Torres, R; Prytherch, J; Moat, B; Hanafin, J; Ardhuin, F; Paul, F. 2019 Key Uncertainties in the Recent Air‐Sea Flux of CO 2. Global Biogeochemical Cycles. https://doi.org/10.1029/2018GB006041
View publication
Holding, T; Ashton, IG; Shutler, JD; Land, PE; Nightingale, PD; Rees, AP; Brown, IJ; Piolle, JF; Kock, A; Bange, HW; Woolf, DK; Goddijn-Murphy, L; Pereira, R; Paul, F; Girand-Ardhuin, F; Chapron, B; Rehder, G; Ardhuin, F; Donlon, CJ. 2019 The FluxEngine air-sea gas flux toolbox: simplified interface and extensions for in situ analyses and multiple sparingly soluble gases. Ocean Science Discussions. 1-28. https://doi.org/10.5194/os-2019-45 (Submitted)
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Dall’Osto, M; Airs, RL; Beale, R; Cree, C; Fitzsimons, MF; Beddows, D; Harrison, RM; Ceburnis, D; O’Dowd, C; Rinaldi, M; Paglione, M; Nenes, A; Decesari, S; Simó, R. 2019 Simultaneous Detection of Alkylamines in the Surface Ocean and Atmosphere of the Antarctic Sympagic Environment. ACS Earth and Space Chemistry. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsearthspacechem.9b00028
View publication

View our recent publications

Opportunities at PML

Air-sea gas exchange

Making a difference

Further information

Events

Current research topics include:

Key staff

Projects

ESA-SOLAS - OceanFlux Greenhouse Gases

Radiatively Active Gases from the North Atlantic RegiOn and Climate Change (RAGNARoCC)

Atlantic Meridional Transect Ocean Flux from Satellite Campaign (AMT4OceanSatFlux)

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Progress in UK Environmental Prediction research

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