Dataset of aerosol, ozone, and meteorology observations at the surface coastal site of Henties Bay in Namibia

Abstract

Abstract. Between 2012 and 2019, measurements of aerosol mass concentration, composition of the inorganic fraction, optical properties, meteorology and ozone were conducted at the Henties Bay Aerosol Observatory (HBAO) located at the Sam Nujoma Marine and Coastal Resources Research Centre of the University of Namibia at Henties Bay (22.09° S, 14.26° E; 30 m above mean sea level) in Namibia. The site aimed at filling a gap in observation of the boundary layer aerosol at the coastal interface between the hyper-arid Namib desert and the south East Atlantic Ocean, characterised by haziness due to frequent mineral dust plumes and persistent sea spray. Some of the data were already validated and analysed by Formenti et al. (2018), Klopper et al. (2020), Desboeufs et al. (2024). In this paper we present the entire quality-controlled dataset which is now made available to the public with the following DOI: Aerosol elemental and water-soluble ionic composition during 2016 (https://doi.org/10.57932/3998ece8-9629-44bf-a826-b7ae1b25e8e6; Formenti et al., 2026) Aerosol elemental, water-soluble ionic and dissolved elemental composition during 2017 (https://doi.org/10.57932/2ac79cd1-282a-4004-87d5-38f0ebcaf40c; Formenti, 2023) Aerosol mass concentration between 2012 and 2019 (https://doi.org/10.57932/d5bcf2ef-1c1f-4f87-9945-e5ec9a948112; Valorso et al., 2026a) Ozone mixing ratio between 2012 and 2019 (https://doi.org/10.57932/59ed8db1-2a18-4429-a153-fffa61cdbb41; Valorso et al., 2026b) Aerosol particle scattering between 2015 and 2019 (https://doi.org/10.57932/4d3613b6-4c49-417f-ac1d-fd825602fbfb; Valorso et al., 2026c) Aerosol equivalent black carbon concentration between 2012 and 2019 (https://doi.org/10.57932/c8c755ef-bf7a-441e-a4c6-1ee875e5f570; Valorso et al., 2026d) Wind speed and direction between 2012 and 2019 (https://doi.org/10.57932/99b707a5-1cba-4b61-915b-829aa742a726; Valorso et al., 2026e) Basic meteorology between 2018 and 2019 (https://doi.org/10.57932/9d344c70-2f09-4fff-a2d9-ce72f5cf1757; Valorso et al., 2026f) These research-quality data, unique for the area, have many uses, including the determination of seasonal changes in the atmospheric composition and the validation of climate and weather modeling output and satellite-retrieved aerosol products.