Primary submicron marine aerosol dominated by insoluble organic colloids and aggregates

TLDR

Bubble‑bursting experiments show that the size‑dependent distribution of water‑insoluble organic matter and sea‑salt in sea‑spray aerosols mirrors that of atmospheric marine aerosols during biologically active periods. The study examined the chemical composition of sea‑spray aerosols generated from bubble bursting in North Atlantic waters during a phytoplankton bloom. The aerosol OM content rises sharply as particle size decreases, with submicron particles being almost entirely water‑insoluble colloids and aggregates, indicating that solubility and surface tension govern the size‑dependent transfer of marine organic matter and yielding a distinct WIOM/sea‑salt fingerprint in biologically rich waters.

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 μ m. 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.