Short Term Scientific Missions (STSMs)
COST Action 735 also provides opportunities for young scientists to collaborate with senior researchers on short one to two week Short Term Scientific Missions (STSMs). These STSMs are based around the COST 735 working group foci and aim to promote an international community of young scientists working within the scope of the COST foci. The STSMs also offer a chance for young scientists to develop data sets, experimental methods, and gas flux product development.
To find out more about the STSM program click here
To date there have been 4 awardees of STSMs.
Ms Aranzazu Lana, Institut de Ciencies del Mar, CSIC,Barcelona, SPAIN
Topic: Developing MTLAB programmes for the analysis of a DMS climatology
Host: Corinne LeQuere,University of East Anglia,Norwich(UK)
Date of STSM: 02/05/2007 to 12/05/2007
From an academic background in atmospheric physics, Aránzazu Lana has recently joined a research group in the Department of Biological Marine Science in the Institut de Ciencies del Mar in Barcelona. As part of this group she investigates the dynamics of dimethylsulfide (DMS) in the ocean and atmosphere, and its role as a precursor of clouds. The aim of this research is to analyze those atmospheric variables that may be affected by DMS emissions, employing the hypothesis that an increase in DMS concentration has consequences for cloud formation and microphysics. The research entails making global monthly data fields of different satellite-derived variables and calculating their temporal correlation with a DMS climatology. Studying the global distributions of crossed correlations, she analyses those regions where the atmospheric variables seem to be more sensitive to the DMS variations. Then, a detailed analysis is conducted using satellite-derived data and real DMS data obtained from the Global Surface Seawater DMS database. The overriding aim of this research is to examine the CLAW hypothesis and to see whether DMS emissions (which are dependent on marine biota) influence climate warming.
To read a copy of Aranzazu's report click here
Mr Matthew Jones, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UNITED KINGDOM
Topic: Introduction to methods, techniques and Technologies for Iron speciation in seawater
Host: Peter Croot,University of Kiel, marine campus,Kiel(Germany)
Date of STSM: 12/05/2007 to 26/05/2007
I am presently studying the mechanisms for controlling micronutrient concentrations. The primary aim is discerning possible enrichment within the sea surface microlayer; the interface water and atmosphere. Both fresh and saline waters are studied. The study consists of a time series which is used to asses water column biological factors and how they change surface microlayer micronutrient concentration. Further field work is undertaken which is used to gain an insight into naturally perturbed environments. My laboratory work consists of promoting photochemical reactions under specific wavelength regimes. Comparisons are between the surface microlayer and underlying waters over time. Samples are analysed for iron (II) using a flow injection chemiluminescence technique and via an ICP-MS and spectrofluorometer for Mn and Al respectively. The behavioural differences between these elements will help in the understanding of how the surface microlayer acts towards micronutrients compared to underlying waters. The micronutrient concentrations and photochemically induced behaviour will further be perturbed through changes in pH. I am further interested in modelling behavioural patterns in the micronutrients. The model should help deduce physical mechanisms and transfer rates between the surface microlayer and underlying waters
To read a copy of Matthew's report click here
Dr Christoph Garbe, IWR, Univ. of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, GERMANY
Topic: Wave effects on Air-Sea Gas transfer
Host: Kimmo Kahma,Finnish Institute of Marine Research (FIMR),Helsinki(Finland)
Date of STSM: 12/11/2007 to 18/11/2007
To read a copy of Christoph's report click here
Ms Cathleen Zindler, IFM-GEOMAR,Kiel, GERMANY
Topic: DMS measurements in the ocean
Host: Rafel Simo,Institut de Ciències del Mar, CMIMA-CSIC,Barcelona(Spain)
Date of STSM: 06/01/2008 to 20/01/2008
The ocean is the major source of oceanic dimethyl sulphide (DMS). When emitted to the atmosphere DMS is a precursor of climate-relevant atmospheric aerosols. Therefore, the need to investigate the global oceanic distribution of DMS to quantify and predict its future emissions to the atmosphere is obvious. At IFM-GEOMAR in Kiel a gas chromatograph (GC) equipped with a flame photometric detector (FPD) was set-up in order to build a seagoing analytical system to measure DMS/DMSP (DMSP is measured as DMS). The overall aims of the Kiel activity are (1) to quantify the DMS emissions from the eastern tropical North Atlantic Ocean with a special focus on the upwelling area off Mauritania and (2) to investigate the potential changes of DMS emissions as a consequence of the ongoing ocean acidification.
To read a copy of Cathleen's report click here
Ms Alina Freing, IFM-GEOMAR, Kiel, GERMANY
Topic:
Quantifying global air-sea fluxes of N2O by the inversion of oceanic observations
Host: Nicolas Gruber,ETH Zurich,Zurich(CH)
Date of STSM: 03/02/2008 to 16/02/2008
Nitrous oxide (N2O) is an important atmospheric greenhouse gas and it is also involved in stratospheric ozone depletion. The ocean is one of the most important natural sources of atmospheric N2O. Thus it is of utmost importance to improve our understanding of the pathways and distribution of oceanic N2O and its governing factors.
However, modelling today’s global oceanic distribution of N2O and assessing the impact of global change on its pathways are biased because we are lacking an overall view of the distribution of N2O in the ocean.
The objective of our initiative is to compile a global N2O database and to compute global data fields, which can be used to improve the oceanic N2O parameterisations implemented in biogeochemical models. Thus we hope to be able to better constrain the global N2O budget and the air-sea fluxes.
The overall aim of the COST STSM was to quantify the global air-sea fluxes of N2O by inverse modelling using our data set.To read a copy of Alina's report click here