Organic carbon at marine interfaces

  • Glyoxal has been detected over the open ocean by MAX-DOAS and CE-DOAS instruments on ships.
  • It is a good tracer for the oxidative capacity in the marine boundary layer (MBL), as it is a sink for OH and tropospheric O3, which modifies the reactive chemistry and lifetime of climate active gases, e.g. CH4.
  • Flux measurements are made over the open ocean with the CE-DOAS instrument to determine if the ocean is a glyoxal source or sink. This data is also used to retrieve diurnal profiles of glyoxal over the ocean.
Glyoxal flux measurements as a function of solar zenith angle (proxy for time) during TORERO.
Glyoxal flux measurements as a function of solar zenith angle (proxy for time) during TORERO.
Marine
First detection of glyoxal over the remote ocean in the marine boundary layer during VOCALS-Rex/TAO 2008/2009.
Diurnal Cycles
Diurnal cycles of CHOCHO over the Eastern Pacific Ocean measured during TORERO.