Mace Head Atmospheric Research Station

Located on the west coast of Ireland, the Atmospheric Research Station at Mace Head (Carna, County Galway) is unique in Europe, offering westerly exposure to the North Atlantic ocean (clean sector, 180º through west to 300º). Meteorological records show that on average, approximately 50% of the air masses arrive at the station from this clean sector, presenting an ideal opportunity to study clean background air of the Northern Hemisphere westerlies and its atmospheric composition in terms of both Greenhouse Gases and Short-Lived Climate Forcers, while easterly air masses enable evaluation of a continental outflow and at times, polluted air outflow.

Mace Head Atmospheric Research Station has one of the longest outstanding datasets of aerosol measurements in the world, and the is the longest such dataset in Europe.

The site location, at 53º 20′ N, 9º 54′ W, is in the path of the mid-latitude cyclones which frequently traverse the North Atlantic.