History

1970s: BIOS (then BBSR, the Bermuda Biological Station for Research) begins regular atmospheric sampling programs under the guidance of Professor Robert Duce.
1987: BBSR sees development of closer coordination between the WATOX program and AEROCE, the National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded air-ocean chemistry research program, whose main objective was to gauge the impact of anthropogenic sources on the chemical and physical properties of the atmosphere.
1988: With the permission of the Bermuda Government and the help of U.S. Navy personnel on Bermuda a 23-meter sampling tower was erected at Tudor Hill, on the southwest coast of Bermuda, becoming the first primary long-term sampling site for AEROCE. During this time, the facility also begins instrument operation and maintenance for NOAA’s Tropospheric Ozone Monitoring Network (Earth System Research Laboratory, Global Monitoring Division).
1989: The facility begins service as a Global Greenhouse Gas Reference Network Site, enabling the sampling of air for NOAA’s Earth System Research Laboratory.
1998: Sampling for the AEROCE program concludes.
2000: After years of falling into disrepair, the aerosol sampling controller system at Tudor Hill experiences failure.
2002: Recognizing the immense scientific value of the Tudor Hill facility, NSF provides funding to BBSR and the University of Miami to upgrade and operate the tower.
2003: Upgrades are completed by early 2003. With support from NASA’s Earth Science and Public Health Program, BBSR scientists Peter Sedwick and Tony Knap use the newly refurbished tower to conduct a survey of airborne microbes over the Sargasso Sea.
2004: The facility begins collecting samples for the Global Atmospheric Passive Sampling (GAPS) Network, a research program of Environment and Climate Change Canada.
2007: Tudor Hill becomes part of the NASA AERONET program’s network of ground-based aerosol remote sensing sites.
2014: The tower sustains significant structural damage resulting from Hurricane Gonzalo, which made landfall in Bermuda with 110mph winds.
2015: The Tudor Hill tower is rebuilt with support from the University of Virginia and the National Science Foundation OCE, the tower was rebuilt.