A major goal of the US Department of Energy (DOE) is to understand and predict process- and systems-level interactions involving clouds, aerosols, and radiative transfer in climate-sensitive environments. A particular focus involves marine regions, where there is a tremendous need for dedicated long term measurements in natural and perturbed conditions. In 2024, the DOE hosted a workshop to evaluate the opportunities, benefits, and efficiencies that can be gained by using commercial ships of opportunity for sustained atmospheric research, where sensors and sensor suites can be deployed in a semi-autonomous manner. Subsequent to the workshop, a funding opportunity was issued to DOE National Laboratories, to launch a pilot project that will identify, develop, and pilot deployment of a small suite of instruments that can be operated autonomously on commercial vessels to address BER science questions. This Town Hall will focus on describing the outputs of the workshop as well as the pilot program’s three-year plans, including a longer term vision for a sustained observational program of unattended autonomous measurements of marine aerosols, clouds, and other environmental factors on commercial ships. It will also be an opportunity for the broader community to engage with the pilot project.

- Indicates paper has been withdrawn from meeting

- Indicates an Award Winner