The Northern Territory Baseline Air Pollution Station (NT BAPS) is a CSIRO facility on the Bureau of Meteorology’s Gunn Point Research Weather Radar site at Gunn Pt, NT. The NT BAPS has been in operation since 2010, during which time there have been measurements of meteorology, greenhouse gases, reactive gases, radon, and aerosols.

Aerosol measurements at the NT BAPS are made with a three wavelength integrating nephelometer and a multi angle absorption photometer. Continuous measurements throughout the northern Australian monsoon season are facilitated via a unique continuous automatic aerosol diffusion dryer custom built to overcome the challenge of accurate aerosol measurements in high humidity atmospheres.

Data from recent multi-year measurements of aerosol scattering coefficient and absorption coefficient will be presented. Diurnal cycles and seasonal trends in the aerosol optical properties of the region based on these data will be examined. Aerosol composition analysis of both the long term and short campaign-based measurements, and impacts on aerosol optical properties and composition from biomass burning will be discussed. Lastly, modelling of air mass origin to assess influence of air mass transport fetch on the aerosol characteristics of the region will be presented.