Multiyear Observations of the Tropical Atlantic Atmosphere

T he tropical Atlantic Ocean is a region of significant meteorological and oceanographic interest in terms of atmospheric chemistry and mesoscale-to-synoptic dynamical and thermodynamical processes. Nonmaritime air masses from the African continent advect out over the Atlantic within easterly winds and waves, significantly impacting the meteorology and climate dynamics downstream into the Western Hemisphere. In particular, large-scale outflows of Saharan dust extend well out over the Atlantic within persistent stable layers of dry and warm air collectively referred to as the Saharan air layer (SAL) (e.g., Carlson and Prospero 1972; Zhang and Pennington 2004; Dunion and Velden 2004; Nalli et al. 2005). Additionally, finer mode smoke aerosols from biomass burning to the south also advect over the Atlantic, which in turn has an impact on the regional atmospheric chemistry. MULTIYEAR OBSERVATIONS OF THE TROPICAL ATLANTIC ATMOSPHERE Multidisciplinary Applications of the NOAA Aerosols and Ocean Science Expeditions