Pacific Exploratory Mission in the Tropical Pacific: PEM‐Tropics B, March‐April 1999

Abstract

The Pacific Exploratory Mission ‐ Tropics B (PEM‐Tropics B) was conducted by the NASA Global Tropospheric Experiment (GTE) over the tropical Pacific Ocean in March‐April 1999. It used the NASA DC‐8 and P‐3B aircraft equipped with extensive instrumentation for measuring numerous chemical compounds and gases. Its central objective was to improve knowledge of the factors controlling ozone, OH, aerosols, and related species over the tropical Pacific. Geographical coverage ranged from 38°N to 36°S and 148°W to 76°E. Major deployment sites included Hilo, Hawaii, Christmas Island, Tahiti, Fiji, and Easter Island. PEM‐Tropics B was a sequel to PEM‐Tropics A, which was conducted in September‐October 1996 and encountered considerable biomass burning. PEM‐Tropics B, conducted in the wet season of the southern tropics, observed an exceedingly clean atmosphere over the South Pacific but a variety of pollution influences over the tropical North Pacific. Photochemical ozone loss over both the North and the South Pacific exceeded local photochemical production by about a factor of 2, implying a major deficit in the tropospheric ozone budget. Dedicated flights investigated the sharp air mass transitions at the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) and the South Pacific Convergence Zone (SPCZ). Extensive OH observations permitted the first large‐scale comparisons with photochemical model predictions. High concentrations of oxygenated organics were observed ubiquitously in the tropical Pacific atmosphere and may have important implications for global HOx and NOx budgets. Extensive equatorial measurements of dimethyl sulfide and OH suggest that important aspects of marine sulfur chemistry are still poorly understood.