The Weybourne Atmospheric Observatory (WAO) is a Regional station in the Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW) programme of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). It is situated on the North Norfolk coast (52°57’02’’N, 1°07’19’’E, 15 m asl). Weybourne is operated by the School of Environmental Sciences at the University of East Anglia (UEA) having been established in 1992 by Professor Stuart Penkett (retired 2004) with funding from BP (Norway) plc and NERC. Subsequently, long term monitoring and campaigns have been supported through numerous projects funded by NERC, Department of the Environment (DoE, Defra) and the EU. NCAS has also supported the site since 2002. Much of the instrumentation has come from HEFCE JIF and SRIF funds.

Weybourne’s location means that it experiences air with a wide range of pollution levels. Predominant south-westerlies bring polluted air from the UK (including from London and the Midlands). At times, especially in anticyclonic conditions, Weybourne experiences polluted air from Europe. Weybourne can also receive clean background air in northerly air flow. This can be impacted by narrow pollution plumes from shipping in the N. Sea, and potentially gas platforms. Many successful campaigns have been hosted at Weybourne to examine oxidizing capacity, organic chemistry, carbonaceous particles, night-time chemistry and cloud impacts on radiation. In addition to the permanent building (see photo) there is adequate power and space to support instrumented mobile labs and containers. The site is also used by the wider community for instrument testing.