ACE-1: Southern Hemisphere Marine Aerosol Characterization Experiment

Summary

The Southern Hemisphere Marine Aerosol Characterization Experiment (ACE-1) was the first in a series of experiments whose goal was to characterize the chemical and physical processes controlling the evolution and properties of atmospheric aerosols and the role in radiative climate forcing. The field phase of ACE-1 began 1 October 1995 with data collection to support ship and aircraft latitudinal transects. Intensive operations in the Southern Pacific Ocean occurred from 15 November to 14 December 1995 from an operations center in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. Data collection activities concluded on 25 December 1995. Details of ACE-1 science objectives can be found in the ACE-1 Science and Implementation Plan, August 1995. Data management support for the program is discussed in the ACE-1 Data Management Plan, September 1995 and operational support details are provided in the ACE-1 Operations Plan, September 1995.

Objectives:

The specific goal of ACE-1 is to determine and understand the properties and controlling factors of the aerosol in the remote marine environment that are relevant to radiative forcing and climate. To achieve this goal, the ACE-1 Science Team has defined three specific objectives: 1) Document the chemical, physical and radiative characteristics of remote marine aerosols and investigate the relationships between these aerosol properties; 2) Determine the key physical and chemical processes controlling the formation and fate of aerosols and how these processes affect the number size distribution, the chemical composition, and the radiative and cloud nucleating properties of the particles; 3) Assess the climatic importance of remote marine aerosols.