SCAR is pleased to share the Visiting Scholar report by Dr. Eija Asmi, Head of Group at the Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI), Finland. Her Visiting Scholarship was hosted by the Servicio Meteorológico Nacional (SMN), Argentina, supported by Lic. María de los Milagros Skansi. Dr. Asmi’s visit also included interactions with various SMN offices and observatories.
Team at Ushuaia GAW, from left to right: Tech. Gonzalo Gambarte, Ing. Lino Condori, MSc. Giselle Marincovich, Dr. Eija Asmi and Tech. Emiliano Petruzzi
The primary objective of Dr. Asmi’s visit was to intensify and enhance knowledge transfer and research collaboration between FMI and SMN, building on their >30 years of joint efforts in Antarctic atmospheric composition measurements. This collaboration started with one of the first Antarctic ozone sounding programs in 1987 and has since expanded to include aerosol particles, greenhouse gases, trace gases, and clouds. The visit aimed to improve the utilization of technical tools for data analysis, disseminate previous research results, provide hands-on training with scientific equipment, and plan future joint research.
During her visit, Dr. Asmi engaged in several fruitful activities at SMN’s Buenos Aires office and via online meetings with other SMN offices, including Mendoza. She conducted hands-on training sessions at the Ushuaia WMO/Global Atmospheric Watch (GAW) station and the Marambio Antarctic station. These sessions were crucial for enhancing atmospheric composition measurements and preparing for official audits.
Dr. Asmi collaborated with Dr. Celeste Mulena (SMN, Mendoza) and other researchers on various publications, including submissions to Remote Sensing and Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions. She also contributed to the ongoing PhD thesis of Giselle Marincovich, which focuses on interannual variability of climate drivers over the Southern Ocean and Antarctic Peninsula.
In addition to scientific work, Dr. Asmi held several smaller group and one-on-one discussions at SMN, addressing various technical and data issues related to the Marambio and Ushuaia stations. She also visited the Finnish embassy in Buenos Aires to discuss collaboration goals and met with Dr. Adriana Gulisano at Instituto Antártico Argentino to discuss Antarctic science and the SCAR 2024 Science Conference.
Several joint abstracts for the SCAR Open Science Conference 2024 were submitted, and work towards four joint manuscripts was initiated. Dr. Asmi also prepared pre-audit reports for GAW Ushuaia and ACTRIS Marambio aerosol measurements and drafted a joint plan for continued activities and bi-lateral agreements.
The visit included significant outreach activities, such as scientific discussions, hands-on training, and sharing of educational materials. The efforts at Ushuaia GAW station improved the quality of atmospheric data, with several modifications and calibrations documented and implemented. Similarly, the visit to Marambio station focused on maintaining and upgrading atmospheric composition equipment, training year-round personnel, and ensuring consistency in measurements across both sites.
Technical-scientific team at Marambio Regional GAW station in Antarctica, from left to right: Matias Martorano (Technician – SMN, over-winter at Marambio, Antarctica), Evelyn Lucero (Technician – SMN, over-winter at Marambio, Antarctica), Giselle Marincovich (Scientist – SMN, Buenos Aires, Argentina), Francisco Quarin (Technician – SMN, Buenos Aires, Argentina), Eija Asmi (Scientist – FMI, Helsinki, Finland).
Looking ahead, Dr. Asmi and her collaborators plan to continue their joint work with regular PhD thesis guidance meetings, technical meetings, conference presentations, online manuscript preparation sessions, and station audits by the end of 2024.
About her visit and time in Argentina Dr Asmi notes: