EAPSI: Chemical reaction of pollutants within fog droplets in the Eastern Yellow Sea

Boris Alexandra J, Fort Collins CO

Investigators

Abstract

Fog droplets can impact air pollutants by providing a medium for their removal from the atmosphere, or their chemical reaction to form products that impact the climate system, human health, and ecosystem health differently. Specifically, solid and liquid products formed from aqueous reactions in fog droplets can aggregate to increase the number of particles available for cloud or fog droplet formation, and in turn, the lifetime and density of a cloud or fog. The chemicals present in atmospheric particles, fog, or cloud water will also determine their toxicity as they enter human respiratory systems or are deposited into ecosystems. Identifying and quantifying chemical reactions occurring within fog water is therefore important, particularly in regions where large amounts of pollutants have been measured, and fog events are frequent. This research will be conducted at Baengnyeong Island, Korea with the assistance of Dr. Taehyoung Lee of Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul. Baengnyeong Island is located in the Eastern Yellow Sea, where frequent fog events during the summer coincide with large amounts of gaseous and suspended solid or liquid pollutants from industrial, agricultural, desert (dust), and sea sources. Chemical and physical measurements of fog water collected at Baengnyeong Island will be made to determine whether expected chemical reactions are occurring within the fog. Additional analyses will include analyses for anions including sulfate and nitrate, organic pollutants such as nitrophenols, and products of expected reactions such as small carboxylic acids. This NSF EAPSI award is funded in collaboration with the National Research Foundation of Korea.