RAPID: Complementary Organic Aerosol Measurements of Marine Aerosol on the R/V Knorr during the Western Atlantic Climate Study 2014 (WACS2)

University Of California-San Diego Scripps Inst Of Oceanography, La Jolla CA

Investigators

Abstract

This project will test the following hypotheses as part of Western Atlantic Climate Study 2014 (WACS2), a campaign sponsored by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA): (1) The composition of primary marine organic aerosol closely tracks the source seawater, and (2) The seawater composition varies with the biotic components of the surface waters, for which sea surface temperature is a better proxy than chlorophyll. The purpose of this project is to assess how ocean biogeochemistry impacts sea spray particles. The principal investigator will measure in situ surface seawater parameters in both high and low productivity waters. These measurements will be used to characterize freshly emitted ocean-derived sea spray aerosol particles, ambient marine-region aerosol, and surface ocean organic material for assessing their relationship to ocean-derived sea spray aerosol particles. Innovative measurement techniques to be used in project include a newly modified aerosol impactor that can be directly compared to aerosol and CCN measurements being made by other colleagues participating in the project. In addition, there will be side-by-side deployment of a HR-ToF-AMS operated at high temperatures (for measurements of refractory NaCl), and a high resolution Soot Particle Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (for measuring black carbon). This project will study the relationship of ambient marine-region aerosol and surface ocean organic material to assess their relationship to ocean-derived sea spray aerosol particles. Ocean-derived particles can impact the Earth's radiation budget by altering cloud properties (such as albedo) and cloud lifetime and extent. Characterization of the properties of these particles in their freshly emitted state is needed for accurate model calculations of their impact on climate.