Research Focus: Nitrogen oxides and ozone in the remote tropical Atlantic Ocean
What environmental challenge does your research tackle?
My research is investigating the concentration of nitrogen oxides, such as NO and NO2, in the remote North Atlantic. This will help improve our understanding of the chemistry occurring above the ocean, this is especially important as the
oceans make up over 70% of the earth’s surface so ensuring we have a good understanding of the processes occurring is very important.
What is one thing you want everyone to know about your project?
One important aspect of my project is the direct involvement in both aircraft and ship-based field campaigns, alongside subsequent data analysis. This approach, combining field based and office-based work ensures that the scientific
interpretation is grounded in how the data was actually collected.
What is the strangest or most surprising thing you have encountered during fieldwork?
One of the most surprising things I encountered during my work was the extreme sensitivity of the instruments, which
can reliably detect nitric oxide (NO) at concentrations below 20 parts per trillion. This highlighted the power of modern
measurement techniques along with the need for careful calibration.
