The North Atlantic Regional Experiment (NARE), by David Parrish

Industrial emissions to the atmosphere are highly concentrated in the northern temperate latitudes. The EDGAR emission inventory, for example, suggests that about 90% of NO_X from fossil fuel combustion is released there [Olivier et al., 1999]. The temperate North Atlantic Ocean covers about 16% of the northern temperate region or about 4% of the global surface. It is unique in that it is bordered on the west and east by the globe's most highly concentrated industrial emissions, located in eastern North America and western Europe. Consequently, the troposphere over the North Atlantic is expected to be the region of the marine troposphere most impacted by industrial emissions. NARE was established by IGAC to study the chemical processes occurring there. The primary objective was to investigate the chemical and transport processes that shape ozone distributions over the North Atlantic and to estimate the impact of human-induced emissions from North America and Europe on the production of tropospheric ozone and related parameters.

NARE was not the first research initiative to focus on the photochemistry of the North Atlantic troposphere. In 1988, the Global Change Expedition/Coordinated Air-Sea Experiment/Western Atlantic Ocean Experiment (CCE/CASE/WATOX) [Pszenny et al., 1990] was conducted in this region. Its results were a useful guide for planning NARE research. Also at the time of the inception of NARE, the Atmosphere-Ocean Chemistry Experiment (AEROCE) (see Prospero, this issue) was underway in the region. AEROCE was incorporated from the start as an explicit component of NARE.

The first NARE Co-convenersFred Fehsenfeld in North America and Stuart Penkett in Europeorganized four meetings from 1989 to 1992 to plan research activities. Initial research was begun in 1991 with measurements of outflow of North American pollution at surface sites in the Maritime Provinces of Canada [Parrish et al., 1993]. The first major intensive field study was conducted in the summer of 1993; two special sections of J. Geophys. Res. [101, D22 and 102, D11] were devoted predominantly to the results. Two additional field intensives were conducted in early spring, 1996 and late summer/early fall, 1997.

Current research

The following articles review the current state of progress in NARE investigations, focusing on work from the latter two field studies. Peterson et al. describe the transport of anthropogenic pollution within the marine boundary layer of the western North Atlantic, the region most immediately impacted by the pollution export from North America. Cooper et al. detail the transport mechanisms and the photochemical and physical processing of pollutants as they are transported out of the North American continental boundary layer, where the pollutants are initially injected. Stohl and Trickl survey the important experimental evidence for the trans-Atlantic transport of North American pollution. Li et al. use a global chemical transport model to describe the effects of anthropogenic pollution on the ozone budget of the North Atlantic. Law et al. describe the anthropogenic influence upon the photochemical environment of the central North Atlantic, the region presumably most remote from anthropogenic emissions.

Future plans

Ongoing NARE investigations will continue under a new IGAC Activity: Intercontinental Transport and Chemical Transformation (ITCT). This initiative was begun in response to the recognition that atmospheric pollution now has a global scale. Thus NARE has been combined with its sister IGAC Activity, East Asian/North Pacific Regional Experiment (APARE) to provide at least a hemisphere-wide perspective. The conveners are the original NARE and APARE conveners: Fred Fehsenfeld, Stuart Penkett, and Hajime Akimoto. Development of the science plan for ITCT is currently underway. The first research activity being conducted under ITCT in the North Atlantic region will be the establishment of a surface site to provide measurements in the free troposphere in the central North Atlantic. It is located at an altitude of 2225 m on the summit of Pico mountain in the Azores. Honrath and Fialho (this issue) more fully describe the planned research.

Editor's Note

We gratefully acknowledge David Parrish's help in organizing this group of article's on the North Atlantic regional Experiment (NARE).


IGACtivities No. 24 August 2001	The North Atlantic Regional Experiment (NARE) Contributed by David Parrish, Aeronomy Laboratory/NOAA, USA. Background Industrial emissions to the atmosphere are highly concentrated in the northern temperate latitudes. The EDGAR emission inventory, for example, suggests that about 90% of NO_X from fossil fuel combustion is released there [Olivier et al., 1999]. The temperate North Atlantic Ocean covers about 16% of the northern temperate region or about 4% of the global surface. It is unique in that it is bordered on the west and east by the globe's most highly concentrated industrial emissions, located in eastern North America and western Europe. Consequently, the troposphere over the North Atlantic is expected to be the region of the marine troposphere most impacted by industrial emissions. NARE was established by IGAC to study the chemical processes occurring there. The primary objective was to investigate the chemical and transport processes that shape ozone distributions over the North Atlantic and to estimate the impact of human-induced emissions from North America and Europe on the production of tropospheric ozone and related parameters. NARE was not the first research initiative to focus on the photochemistry of the North Atlantic troposphere. In 1988, the Global Change Expedition/Coordinated Air-Sea Experiment/Western Atlantic Ocean Experiment (CCE/CASE/WATOX) [Pszenny et al., 1990] was conducted in this region. Its results were a useful guide for planning NARE research. Also at the time of the inception of NARE, the Atmosphere-Ocean Chemistry Experiment (AEROCE) (see Prospero, this issue) was underway in the region. AEROCE was incorporated from the start as an explicit component of NARE. The first NARE Co-convenersFred Fehsenfeld in North America and Stuart Penkett in Europeorganized four meetings from 1989 to 1992 to plan research activities. Initial research was begun in 1991 with measurements of outflow of North American pollution at surface sites in the Maritime Provinces of Canada [Parrish et al., 1993]. The first major intensive field study was conducted in the summer of 1993; two special sections of J. Geophys. Res. [101, D22 and 102, D11] were devoted predominantly to the results. Two additional field intensives were conducted in early spring, 1996 and late summer/early fall, 1997. Current research The following articles review the current state of progress in NARE investigations, focusing on work from the latter two field studies. Peterson et al. describe the transport of anthropogenic pollution within the marine boundary layer of the western North Atlantic, the region most immediately impacted by the pollution export from North America. Cooper et al. detail the transport mechanisms and the photochemical and physical processing of pollutants as they are transported out of the North American continental boundary layer, where the pollutants are initially injected. Stohl and Trickl survey the important experimental evidence for the trans-Atlantic transport of North American pollution. Li et al. use a global chemical transport model to describe the effects of anthropogenic pollution on the ozone budget of the North Atlantic. Law et al. describe the anthropogenic influence upon the photochemical environment of the central North Atlantic, the region presumably most remote from anthropogenic emissions. Future plans Ongoing NARE investigations will continue under a new IGAC Activity: Intercontinental Transport and Chemical Transformation (ITCT). This initiative was begun in response to the recognition that atmospheric pollution now has a global scale. Thus NARE has been combined with its sister IGAC Activity, East Asian/North Pacific Regional Experiment (APARE) to provide at least a hemisphere-wide perspective. The conveners are the original NARE and APARE conveners: Fred Fehsenfeld, Stuart Penkett, and Hajime Akimoto. Development of the science plan for ITCT is currently underway. The first research activity being conducted under ITCT in the North Atlantic region will be the establishment of a surface site to provide measurements in the free troposphere in the central North Atlantic. It is located at an altitude of 2225 m on the summit of Pico mountain in the Azores. Honrath and Fialho (this issue) more fully describe the planned research. Editor's Note We gratefully acknowledge David Parrish's help in organizing this group of article's on the North Atlantic regional Experiment (NARE).
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The North Atlantic Regional Experiment (NARE)

Background

Current research

Future plans

Editor's Note