7
October 2004
Marine aerosols: Organic change
Marine aerosols are airborne particles formed mainly by evaporation of sea spray. They contribute significantly to the total atmospheric particle count, and hence to global albedo. Current research centres on sulphate from sea salt and elsewhere as the main marine aerosol species, but a study of aerosols collected on the west coast of Ireland suggests that the contribution of organic matter needs to be considered too. At times when there are extensive plankton blooms in the North Atlantic, the organic contribution to marine aerosol is as high as 63%. In winter, with plankton less active, this falls to 15%. The inclusion of this organic component in a cloud formation simulation can increase cloud droplet concentration by 15%, making it an important component in climate models.
Biogenically driven organic contribution to
marine aerosol
COLIN D. O'DOWD, MARIA CRISTINA FACCHINI, FABRIZIA
CAVALLI, DARIUS CEBURNIS, MIHAELA MIRCEA, STEFANO DECESARI, SANDRO FUZZI,
YOUNG JUN YOON & JEAN-PHILIPPE PUTAUD
Nature 431, 676–680 (2004); doi:10.1038/nature02959
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