Primary submicron marine aerosol dominated by insoluble organic colloids and aggregates

Facchini, Maria Cristina, Rinaldi, Matteo, Decesari, Stefano, Carbone, Claudio, Finessi, Emanuela, Mircea, Mihaela, Fuzzi, Sandro, Ceburnis, Darius, Flanagan, Robert, Nilsson, E. Douglas, De Leeuw, Gerrit, Martino, M, Woeltjen, Janina and O'Dowd, Colin D. (2008) Primary submicron marine aerosol dominated by insoluble organic colloids and aggregates. Geophysical Research Letters, 35 (17). L17814. ISSN 1944-8007

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Abstract

The chemical properties of sea-spray aerosol particles produced by artificially generated bubbles using oceanic waters were investigated during a phytoplankton bloom in the North Atlantic. Spray particles exhibited a progressive increase in the organic matter (OM) content from 3 ± 0.4% up to 77 ± 5% with decreasing particle diameter from 8 to 0.125 µm. Submicron OM was almost entirely water insoluble (WIOM) and consisted of colloids and aggregates exuded by phytoplankton. Our observations indicate that size dependent transfer of sea water organic material to primary marine particles is mainly controlled by the solubility and surface tension properties of marine OM. The pattern of WIOM and sea-salt content in the different size intervals observed in bubble bursting experiments is similar to that measured in atmospheric marine aerosol samples collected during periods of high biological activity. The results point to a WIOM/sea-salt fingerprint associated with submicron primary marine aerosol production in biologically rich waters.

Item Type:	Article
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Science > School of Environmental Sciences
Depositing User:	Rosie Cullington
Date Deposited:	01 Mar 2011 13:25
Last Modified:	26 Oct 2023 01:14
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/25407
DOI:	10.1029/2008GL034210

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