American Association for Aerosol Research - Abstract Submission

AAAR 32nd Annual Conference
September 30 - October 4, 2013
Oregon Convention Center
Portland, Oregon, USA

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Gas and Particle Phase Chemical Composition of Marine Emissions from Mediterranean Seawaters: Primary Aerosol Particles and Formation of Secondary Organic Components

J. PEY, H. Langley DeWitt, Brice Temime-Roussel, A. Même, E. Sarrasin, C. Rose, E. Freney, M. Hervo, B. Charriere, R. Sempere, K. Sellegri, B. D'Anna, Nicolas Marchand, Aix-Marseille Université-CNRS, LCE FRE 3416

     Abstract Number: 608
     Working Group: Aerosol Chemistry

Abstract
Marine emissions are among the largest source of secondary organic aerosols (SOA) at a global scale. Whereas physical processes control the primary production of marine aerosols, the biological activity is responsible of most of the organic components released from marine sources, potentially transformed into SOA when exposed to atmospheric oxidants. The Mediterranean atmosphere displays important concentrations of SOA (El Haddad et al. 2011), especially in summer, when atmospheric oxidants and photochemical activity are at their maximum. Such elevated concentrations of SOA are unclear in origin but they are mainly from contemporary sources (Minguillon et al. 2011, El Haddad et al, 2011).

In view of this, the fingerprint of marine emissions in terms of gas and particle phase chemical composition is desirable. To this end, a number of smog chamber experiments were conducted on marine aerosols produced from bubble bursting processes. Different aging conditions were tested. The experiments were carried out in Lyon (France) in November-December 2012, in the context of the SAM (Source of marine Aerosol particles in the Mediterranean atmosphere ) project. The marine emissions and their transformations inside the chamber were registered by a multi-instrumental high-time resolution set-up. Thus, aerosol concentrations and their physical characteristics were controlled by means of Scanning Mobility Particle Sizers; gas-phase composition of volatile organic compounds was determined by using Proton Transfer Reaction Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometers (H3O+ and O2+modes); and aerosol chemical composition was obtained from High Resolution Time-of-Flight Aerosol Mass Spectrometers.

The preliminary results display a high abundance of halogenated volatile organic species such as methylcloride, ethylcloride and vinylcloride, as well as different (with low molecular weights) volatile organic compounds.

References
El Haddad et al. (2011). Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 11, 2059-2079.
Minguillón et al. (2011). Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 11, 12067-12084.