AAAR 36th Annual Conference October 16 - October 20, 2017 Raleigh Convention Center Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
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Aerosol Properties over the Remote North Atlantic Ocean: Quantifying the Burden of Marine Emissions and Long-Range Transport
LUKE ZIEMBA, Matthew Brown, Ewan Crosbie, Richard Moore, Michael Shook, Kenneth Thornhill, Edward Winstead, Bruce Anderson, NASA
Abstract Number: 609 Working Group: Remote and Regional Atmospheric Aerosols
Abstract The climate impact of marine biogenic aerosols is tied directly to effects on overlying cloud properties. Phytoplankton blooms are a potential source of particles in the North Atlantic Ocean basin, both through primary emissions of sea-spray aerosol and secondary oxidation of dimethyl sulfide. This environment is observationally challenging as concentrations are low and pervasive clouds make relating aerosol and ocean properties from satellites especially uncertain. Additionally, long-range transport of continental and biomass burning air masses often overwhelms any biogenic response. The NASA NAAMES (North Atlantic Aerosol and Marine Ecosystem Study) mission was designed, in part, to address this issue by utilizing a synergy of complex ship-based measurements of ocean properties, airborne in-situ and remote-sensing observations, and a seasonal sampling strategy. Here, we present aerosol observations made aboard the NASA C-130 during flights in November-2015 and May-2016. Our analysis will highlight differences in particle size distribution, chemical composition, and number concentration to quantify the relative burden attributed to phytoplankton bloom emissions and transported biomass burning particles. Vertical profiles are used to constrain inputs to the marine boundary layer through entrainment as well as emissions from the sea surface. We will also highlight the role of secondary sulfur chemistry with respect to accumulation-mode mass and new particle formation.