This buoy was used by WHOI scientists for studies of aerosols in the marine boundary layer (click here for the
"Sea-Aer" web page). The ozone instrument will be sharing a buoy with many of the instruments from the Sea-Aer project, as well as basic meteorological equipment, allowing for simultaneous measurements in the same location.

Excess tropospheric ozone poses serious health risks to humans and other species. This ozone originates from both natural processes and anthropogenic sources. The predominant anthropogenic source stems from the burning of fossil fuels and biomass, and as one would expect, recent increases in the combustion of these materials have led to increased ozone pollution.

A serious question concerning ground-level ozone is what happens after it is produced. With a lifetime on the order of a few weeks, it can travel significant distances in the free troposphere. For instance, ozone levels on Cape Cod tend to increase when winds are from the southwest, bringing in pollution from the Mid-Atlantic states.

Downwind effects on ozone concentrations become more difficult to understand as distances increase. This is particularly true for intercontinental ozone transport. Research has shown a correlation between increased fossil fuel emissions in Asia and tropospheric ozone in the western United States (Jacob et al., 1999). Similar data has been found suggesting that the eastern United States impacts tropospheric ozone levels in parts of Western Europe (e.g. Parrish et al., 1993).

Our current understanding of global tropospheric ozone is based predominantly on atmospheric models and land-based ozone measurements throughout the globe. In the U.S., the EPA AIRS network of monitoring stations for ozone, other gases, and aerosols provides reasonably dense coverage over land. However, virtually no long-term experimental data have been collected directly over the oceans, leaving more than 70% of Earth's surface without regular observations.

Continuously measuring ozone over large bodies of water from planes, balloons, or ships is prohibitively expensive. However, long-term continuous measurements are necessary, since ozone and other pollution events are variable and episodic. Ocean buoys equipped with reliable, autonomous ozone sensors that are capable of functioning for extended periods of time without human intervention could fill this "data gap."