Transport of gases between the ocean and the atmosphere has profound implications for our environment and the Earth’s climate, such as the oceanic uptake of carbon dioxide, which has buffered us from a higher concentration of this greenhouse gas in the atmosphere but is also causing ocean acidification and subsequently impacting society. By bringing atmospheric chemistry and chemical oceanography together at a highly interdisciplinary level I have been able to pioneer and develop novel and improved ways of understanding and monitoring the transport of gases in this growing area of science.
At PML I have spearheaded the development of the Penlee Point Atmospheric Observatory, the first UK observatory designed to study air-sea interaction. This observatory, the fruit of my vision, is a particularly suitable for long-term monitoring of pollutants and greenhouse gases as well as intensive process-based studies through its interaction with the globally unique Western Channel Observatory. There are currently only a few coastal air-sea interaction observatories worldwide and its establishment is contributing to our understanding of how the coastal seas affect the air we breathe and how the deposition of atmospheric pollutants affects near shore waters.
More generally, I lead in the science areas of atmospheric chemistry (gases and aerosols) and development of novel atmospheric and oceanic measurement systems at PML. Through my research, I also drive long-term observations of air-sea exchange (of momentum, heat, carbon dioxide) on UK research vessels, which is critical for understanding uptake of excess atmospheric heat and carbon by the ocean.
Key Projects
The North Atlantic Climate System Integrated Study (ACSIS)
Ocean Regulation of Climate by Heat and Carbon Sequestration and Transports (ORCHESTRA)
Global Methane Budget (MOYA)
Selected Publications
- Yang, M., R. Beale, P. Liss, M. Johnson, B. Blomquist, and P. Nightingale, Air–sea fluxes of oxygenated volatile organic compounds across the Atlantic Ocean, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 14, 7499-7517, doi:10.5194/acp-14-7499-2014, 2014.
- Yang, M., P. Nightingale, R. Beale, P. Liss, B. Blomquist, and C. Fairall, Atmospheric deposition of methanol over the Atlantic Ocean, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A., 110, 50, 20034–20039, doi: 10.1073/pnas.1317840110, 2013.
- Yang, M., B. Huebert, B. Blomquist, S. Howell, L. Shank, C. McNaughton, A. Clarke, L. Hawkins, L. Russell, D. Covert, D. Coffman, T. Bates, P. Quinn, N. Zagorac, A. Bandy, S. de Szoeke, P. Zuidema, S. Tucker, W. Brewer, K. Benedict, and J. Collett, Atmospheric sulfur cycling in the Southeastern Pacific – longitudinal distribution, vertical profile, and diel variability observed during VOCALS-REx, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 11, 5079-5097, doi:10.5194/acp-11-5079-2011, 2011.
- Yang, M., B. Blomquist, C. Fairall, S. Archer, and B. Huebert, Air-sea Exchange of Dimethylsulfide (DMS) in the Southern Ocean – Measurements from SO GasEx compared to temperate and tropical regions, J. Geophys. Res., 116, C00F05, doi:10.1029/2010JC006526, 2011.
- Yang, M., B. Blomquist, and B. Huebert, Constraining the concentration of the hydroxyl radical in a stratocumulus-topped marine boundary layer from sea-to-air eddy covariance flux measurements of dimethylsulfide, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 9, 9225-9236, 2009.
- Yang, M., S. Howell, J. Zhuang, and B. Huebert, Attribution of Aerosol Light Absorption to black carbon, brown carbon, and dust in China – Interpretations of atmospheric measurements during EAST-AIRE, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 9, 2035-2050, 2009.