CARES
ConstrAining the Role of the marine sulfur cycle in the Earth System
About the Project
CARES is a NERC-funded research project aimed at improving our understanding of, constraining, and reducing the current uncertainty in the marine atmospheric sulfur cycle through a combination of ground-breaking field measurements and model simulations.
We will bring together measurements of the broadest range of sulfur compounds to date and will quantify in situ concentrations and fluxes of a large number of exciting, recently discovered sulfur compounds (like HPMTF) as well as cloud and aerosol properties in the Eastern North Atlantic.
A series of Earth system modelling studies, including uncertainty quantification methods, will integrate the knowledge gained from field and laboratory work and enable the global impact of marine sulfur chemistry to be determined under a changing climate.
Background
One of the greatest uncertainties in historic climate change is the response of the climate system to anthropogenic sulfur emissions, and the dependence of this response on natural background levels.
Adding even more complexity, recent discoveries of a new sulfur molecule – HPMTF – are forcing us to radically re-examine the role of marine sulfur in the climate system.
There is little consensus about the atmospheric fate and oxidation products of this new molecule, acting as a major limitation when trying to determine the amount of allowed greenhouse has emissions to meet climate stabilisation targets.
The recently discovered species, alongside its chemical pathways, is not included in any Earth system model that informs global climate change policies through the IPCC. As a result, it impedes their ability to provide the policy-relevant information required to address the climate crisis.
CARES 