Building on the success of AREAD, the THOFA (Transport of Hydrocarbons and Ozone Formation downwind of the Arabian Gulf) campaign targeted a critical environmental issue: ozone formation, a major atmospheric pollutant with serious health and environmental impacts.
The campaign explored the complex chemistry behind ozone production in air masses downwind of the Arabian Gulf—a region heavily influenced by emissions from oil and gas operations, shipping, and rapid urbanization.
A team from the Cyprus Atmospheric Observatory (CAO), including Pierre-Yves Quehe, Moreno Parolin, and Nikoleta Lekaki, and led by Prof. Efstratios Bourtsoukidis, conducted real-time atmospheric measurements aboard the Jaywun—a state-of-the-art marine research vessel operated by the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD).
Onboard instrumentation included a Picarro analyzer for greenhouse gases, a gas chromatograph for VOCs, and other advanced tools to monitor reactive gases and trace the sources contributing to ozone formation.
