Marine Aerosol and Gas Exchange (MAGE), ~1995 - 2003 or earlier

  • The objective of MAGE was to study air-sea exchange and the formation and transformation of marine aerosols in part by making Lagrangian observations. MAGE organized the chemical experiment of The Atlantic Stratocumulus Transition Experiment (ASTEX), which took place in June 1992 in the stratocumulus-capped marine boundary layer. The purpose was to study the factors influencing the formation and dissipation of marine clouds. MAGE also organized an intercomparison experiment, ASGAMAGE, which had two phases, the first in May and the second in October of 1996. The primary objectives were to test new methods for measuring air-sea fluxes of CO2, N2O, CH4, and DMS and to compare these methods with established methods for estimating the transfer velocities of trace gases over the sea. MAGE and its experiments were essential for both properly describing the physics and chemistry of individual processes in models and for seeing whether models accurately predict nature’s response to anthropogenic emissions. The research findings of MAGE lead to publications in the Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres February 1996 issue and in the Journal of Atmospheric Sciences August 1995 issue. More information and publications can be foundhere.