There are many advantages when a national SOLAS community is able to obtain dedicated funding for its research activities.In the UK,the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) has provided support of around ￡11m (USD 22m) over the period 2004-09 to plan and implement a directed programme that covers all three SOLAS Foci.The aims of UK SOLAS are as follows: To identify important trace gas production and loss processes in the surface ocean To determine the impact of dynamic physical,chemical and biological processes on trace gas production and breakdown in the marine environment,with particular emphasis on the microbial loop To improve understanding of the atmospheric transport,cycling and deposition of dust and nutrients To assess how important the oceans are as a source of aerosols,and what influences the dynamics of marine aerosols To determine the role of trace gas emissions in modifying the oxidising capacity of the atmosphere To reduce uncertainty in our knowledge of how trace gases move between the air and sea To determine the role of the ocean surface in regulating two-way transfers of compounds between air and sea.