Sponsored by NASA's Atmospheric Composition Focus Area in Earth Science

Stations

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The Mace Head station is located on the west coast of Ireland. Its exposure to North Atlantic Ocean make it an ideal location to study both natural and man-made trace constituents in marine and continental air masses. The Mace Head, Ireland station is also a baseline station in the WMO network of Global Atmospheric Watch (GAW) station. GAGE/AGAGE operations began here in 1987 (from 1978 to 1983 ALE operated at Adrigole at 52⁰N, 10⁰W). Measurements of atmospheric CFC-11, CFC-12, CH₃CCl₃, CCl₄, and N₂O started in 1978. Measurements of CFC-113, CHCl₃ and CH₄ started in 1987, and of CO and H₂ began in 1995. 

The first AGAGE automated gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer (GC-MS), based on a Finnigan Magnum Iron Trap coupled to a custom-built (Bristol University) adsorption desorption system (ADS GC-MS), was installed at the Mace Head, Ireland AGAGE station in October 1994. It was replaced by the Agilent 5973 in 1998 and later retired in December 2004, after a new state of the art Medusa GC-MS system was installed and started operation in November 2003. 

Station Information (Mace Head, Ireland)

AGAGE project official: Ron Prinn, curator: Ray H.J. Wang

 Last update: May 2008