The primary objective of the SOLAS/IGAC task HitT is to determine and quantify the importance of reactive halogen compounds (RHCs) in tropospheric chemistry and climate forcing. Key themes are the influence of RHC on the oxidative capacity of the atmosphere, the ozone budget, as well as in aerosol nucleation and growth. The goal of HitT is to facilitate international collaboration between laboratory, field, and model activities regarding tropospheric halogen chemistry especially in the following domains: polar regions, salt lakes, marine boundary layer (both remote and coastal), volcanoes, free troposphere, and urban areas. Since HitT was first endorsed as an IGAC ACtivity in 2007, halogens in the troposphere has become a very active research field publishing special issues in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics on “Radical Chemistry over sunlit snow: interactions between HOX and halogen chemistry at Summit, Greenland" and “The TransBrom Sonne ship campaign in the West Pacific”. HitT also works closely with the AICI IGAC Activity as well as the international multidisciplinary OASIS program. Advancements in atmospheric chemistry research on halogens in the troposphere is leading to several upcoming field campaigns such as the 2012 Tropical Ocean troposphere Exchange of Reactive Halogen Species and Oxygenated VOC (TORERO) field campaign funded by NSF and NCAR, the Surface Ocean Processes in the ANthropocene (SPORAN II) funded by the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research, and HALOPROC II funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG).
Recent Workshops
SOLAS/IGAC HitT Workshop
Climate Impact of Seasalt-derived Cl Atoms
17-19 December 2012
Kiel, Germany
IGACnews Workshop Summary