NAMBLEX: Atmospheric Composition Measurements from a Marine Field Campaign

NAMBLEX - North Atlantic Marine Boundary Layer EXperiment is a dataset collection from a 2002 atmospheric composition campaign at Mace Head, Ireland. The data consist of chemical and meteorological atmospheric measurements, model outputs, and trajectories from multiple instruments. It includes measurements of ozone, carbon monoxide, methane, various hydrocarbons, halogen species, free radicals, and photolysis frequencies.

Use Cases

• Analyzing halogen radical chemistry and ozone depletion cycles based on measurements of I2, OIO, IO, and BrO.
• Studying atmospheric oxidation capacity using time-series data for OH, HO2, and RO2 radicals.
• Investigating the sources and sinks of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHC) in a marine environment.
• Validating chemical transport models with concurrent measurements of trace gases, photolysis frequencies, and meteorological parameters.
• Examining the role of dimethyl sulfide (DMS) in aerosol formation and cloud condensation nuclei in the North Atlantic.

Strengths

• Provides a detailed, multi-instrument snapshot of atmospheric composition from a focused six-week field campaign (24 July to 3 September 2002).
• Includes a wide range of co-located measurements, from long-lived gases (CO, CH4) to highly reactive, short-lived species (halogens, radicals).
• Archived and distributed by the authoritative Centre for Environmental Data Analysis (CEDA) via the British Atmospheric Data Centre (BADC).

Limitations

• Dataset size, row count, and specific column names are not provided in the available metadata.
• The temporal coverage is limited to a specific six-week period in 2002, which may not be representative of seasonal or long-term trends.
• Data formats are listed as unknown, which could pose an initial access barrier.

Provenance

Source

Centre for Environmental Data Analysis (CEDA), via the British Atmospheric Data Centre (BADC). Campaign involved the Universities Facility for Atmospheric Measurements (UFAM).

Collection Method

Field campaign measurements from a suite of atmospheric chemistry and meteorological instruments at the Mace Head research station.

Time Range

24 July 2002 to 3 September 2002

Freshness

Last updated metadata on 2026-07-08, though the underlying data is from 2002.

Geography

Mace Head, Ireland (North Atlantic marine boundary layer)