UK SOLAS aims:

To determine the mechanisms controlling rates of chemical transfer and improve estimates of chemical exchanges

To evaluate the impact of these exchanges on the biogeochemistry of the surface ocean and lower atmosphere and on feedbacks between the ocean and atmosphere

To quantify the impacts of these boundary layer processes on the global climate system

The research will improve our ability to predict climate change, giving insights into natural marine production and the fate of important trace gases. It will show whether these processes are sensitive to other environmental factors. This information is needed by climate modellers and policy makers.

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UK SOLAS

UK SOLAS brings together scientists, with the skills to address these aims, from a large number of research centres and universities.

Ocean-based fieldwork includes eight dedicated research cruises and ongoing measurements aboard the Norwegian weather ship Polarfront. Time series measurements are also made at the SOLAS Cape Verde Observatory and at the Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML) L4 station. UK SOLAS fieldwork also includes a series of collaborative aircraft campaigns.

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The UK Surface Ocean - Lower Atmosphere Study (UK SOLAS) examines the interaction between the atmosphere and ocean. The focus is on chemical exchanges that affect marine productivity and climate. UK SOLAS is the UK's contribution to the international SOLAS project, which involves more than 20 nations.

UK SOLAS, funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), will run for seven years until October 2010. It focuses on processes in, and the interaction between, the surface ocean and the lower atmosphere in the North Atlantic region.

Surface Ocean Lower Atmosphere Study

UK SOLAS

UK SOLAS fieldwork will take place aboard aircraft and research ships

Cloud formation at the air-sea interface

Aerosol generation

Access to UK SOLAS data is controlled according to principles laid out in the UK SOLAS Data Management Policy. The policy supports data-sharing, while protecting the intellectual property of project participants. Access to the data is restricted to UK SOLAS researchers for up to two years after data acquisition. Once in the public domain, most of the data will be released under a data licence agreement.

The UK SOLAS data management pages at BODC provide descriptions of the activities of the SDC. Information relating to the status of UK SOLAS data sets is also available, along with details of each of the UK SOLAS projects and planned and completed fieldwork. The web pages also offer guidance on data submission for our partners in UK SOLAS, and advice for other parties interested in UK SOLAS data.

UK SOLAS data is centrally managed by the UK SOLAS Data Centre (SDC). The data centre is responsible for providing data management support to the UK SOLAS fieldwork activities, and acts as a central hub for data access and submission.

The SDC benefits from the expertise of two leading data centres in the UK: the British Atmospheric and Oceanographic Data Centres (BADC and BODC), the NERC Designated Data Centres for atmospheric and marine data.

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The SDC Team are involved with UK SOLAS data from the project-planning phase, right through to its long-term curation. Our extensive experience of data management gives us insight into the logistics of data collection. Guidelines are given to fieldwork participants, detailing our expectations and requirements for data submission.

The SDC employs world-leading procedures in data quality control. The expertise of our data scientists ensures that UK SOLAS data sets meet the highest standards. Input and feedback from data providers and data users are an integral part of the quality control and evaluation process.

Data Management for UK SOLAS

http://www.bodc.ac.uk/projects/uk/uksolas