Surface Ocean Lower Atmosphere Study

The Surface Ocean Lower Atmosphere Study or Surface Ocean - Lower Atmosphere Study (SOLAS) is an international scientific research initiative that is one of the core projects of the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme.

SOLAS has a goal to achieve quantitative understanding of the key biogeochemical-physical interactions and feedbacks between the ocean and atmosphere, and of how this coupled system affects and is affected by climate and environmental change. Thus, this international project is a critical component to understanding the Earth system and the effects of climate change on this system. The project includes meteorologists, oceanographers, marine biologists, and policy-makers.

SOLAS has three major focus areas: Biogeochemical interactions and feedbacks between ocean and atmosphere, Exchange processes at the air-sea interface and the role of transport and transformation in the atmospheric and oceanic boundary layers, and Air-sea flux of carbon dioxide and other long-lived radiatively-active gases (this last focus is developed jointly with the Integrated Marine and Biogeochemistry and Ecosystem Research project; IMBER). These three focuses are detailed in the project's Science Plan and Implementation Strategy and in three separate [http://www.uea.ac.uk/env/solas/SPIS/SPIS1.html Implementation Plans] , and each focus has its own [http://www.uea.ac.uk/env/solas/org/imps.html Implementation Working Group] . The project is administered by a panel of scientific experts in the [http://www.uea.ac.uk/env/solas/org/ssc.html Scientific Steering Committee] , and project coordination is handled by the [http://www.solas-int.org SOLAS] [http://www.uea.ac.uk/env/solas/org/whatis.html International Project Office] at the University of East Anglia in Norwich UK. Scientific research is conducted by nations across the globe, and [http://www.solas-int.org SOLAS] has 23 established [http://www.uea.ac.uk/env/solas/countries/National.html National Networks] .

SOLAS runs a successful biennial [http://www.uea.ac.uk/env/solas/summerschool/ International Summer School] , held at the Institut d'Etudes Scientifiques de Cargèse in Corsica France, and the next Summer School is scheduled for 2007. Communications from SOLAS include a monthly e-bulletin, a biannual newsletter, and a website. An Open Science Meeting was held in Xiamen China in March 2007.fact|date=August 2007

External links

* [http://www.solas-int.org SOLAS]