Ben Macdhui High Altitude Trace Gas and Aerosol Transport Experiment

Abstract

The Ben Macdhui High Altitude Aerosol and Trace Gas Transport Experiment (BHATTEX) was started to characterize the nature and magnitude of atmospheric, aerosol and trace gas transport paths recirculation over and exiting from southern Africa to the Indian Ocean. This field campaign, a multi-institutional, interdisciplinary atmospheric study conducted in the southern Drakensberg during 8-22 March and 9-23 June 1996, aimed to characterize the nature and amount of the aerosols transported, to verify the accuracy of trajectory models used to predict the observed aerosol transport and finally to determine the extent to which anthropogenic sulphur can be found to affect a remote site in southern Africa. An overview of the BHATTEX project, as well as a report on some results obtained during the initial long-term time-resolved particulate sampling and the two intensive sampling campaigns are presented.