The Surface Ocean - Lower Atmosphere Study (SOLAS) is a large international research programme. Its aim is to quantify the exchange of gases and particles between the ocean and the atmosphere and to understand the role that these exchanges play in ocean biogeochemistry, atmospheric chemistry and climate.
More than 20 nations are involved in this effort and the data collected during the project will be archived in national data centres.
The aim of the SOLAS Project Integrator (Dr Shital Rohekar) is to bring together these results in order to produce data products, largely in terms of quantitative estimates of air-sea fluxes of the gases and particles measured. These data products can then be used by policy makers and the scientific community to assess the role of ocean-atmosphere interaction in climate, air quality and ocean biogeochemistry.
In order to make such flux calculations it is necessary to know both the concentration fields driving them and the speed of exchange between atmosphere and ocean. Both these components of the flux calculation are being intensively studied in the SOLAS programme. By bringing this work together at the international level the value of the work of individual nations will be greatly enhanced to the benefit of both scientific research and policy formulation.
It is important to note that this is effectively a community-led activity, co-ordinated by the SOLAS Project Integrator. It involves the worldwide network of SOLAS researchers, with links through the main SOLAS focus groups - the Implementation Working Groups (IMPs) one, two and three, and various national SOLAS structures.
All contributors will be fully acknowledged for their contribution to global flux products, i.e. co-authorship for each relevant data set and publication(s) arising therefrom.
 |
 |
 |  |
 |
©2014, NERC. Last updated:
February 11, 2014