Putting some OOMPH into the science of sea air

Despite all the scientific advances that have been made over the years, the subject of chemical interactions at the air-sea interface remains poorly understood. Dr Jonathan Williams of the OOMPH project expands on his initiative’s ground-breaking work in this area.

 With water occupying approximately 70 per cent of the earth’s surface area, the sea has long held a special lure for the scientifically curious. However, significant gaps remain in our understanding of the oceans, particularly in terms of organic species and the way the atmosphere interacts with the sea. These are gaps in knowledge that the OOMPH project (Organics over the Ocean Modifying Particles in both Hemispheres), an EU-funded initiative bringing together a number of partners from across Europe, is keen to address.

“The focus of the project is on investigating the chemistry, biology and physics relating to organic compounds at the air-sea interface,” says Dr Jonathan Williams, the project’s overall coordinator. “We know that marine biology uptakes CO2 to form biomass. But as it does so it leaks other gases out into the environment – both into the air and into the seawater. These gases oxidise in both phases and can eventually affect the overlying aerosol, so there’s a kind of holistic system at the air-sea interface. It’s those interactions that we’re investigating within OOMPH.”

“It was very much an exploratory type of project, in that we were given the brief from the EU – the call was very much to explore the interactions that were occurring at the air-sea interface. That left a lot of room for scientific creativity,” he says. “In the seventh framework project there has been a tendency to be much more specific in the calls. I can understand this from the point of view of the EU, in that they want this information, and they want to be financially efficient. But I would argue, based on my experience, that if you provide a looser brief, or you make a more open call, then ultimately you get more from it.”

This argument is further strengthened by OOMPH’s achievements and the major impact it has already had, in both its own field and the wider research arena. Not only has the project generated new data on a hitherto relatively unexplored subject, but it has also provided a basis for further research, both by those within OOMPH and also other interested parties.

Contact Dr Jonathan Williams, Atmospheric Chemist, at Williams@mpch-mainz.mpg.de

Published: Monday, 9th November 2009

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