American Association for Aerosol Research - Abstract Submission

AAAR 39th Annual Conference
October 18 - October 22, 2021

Virtual Conference

Abstract View


Sea Spray Aerosol Generation Experiments in the Summertime High Arctic Pack Ice

JESSICA MIRRIELEES, Rachel Kirpes, Carlton Rauschenberg, Allison Remenapp, Yao Xiao, Nurun Nahar Lata, Vanessa Boschi, Swarup China, Andrew Ault, Amanda Grannas, Patricia Matrai, Kerri Pratt, University of Michigan

     Abstract Number: 704
     Working Group: Remote and Regional Atmospheric Aerosol

Abstract
Aerosols are generated through several mechanisms in the summertime High Arctic, including the production of sea spray aerosol from sea ice leads under elevated wind speed conditions. To study the connections between seawater and sea spray aerosol, seawater was collected from nine locations (including open sea ice leads, a marginal ice zone, and a location near the North Pole) on board the icebreaker Oden during August – September 2018 as part of the Arctic Ocean 2018 Expedition (AO18) – Microbiology-Ocean-Cloud Coupling in the High Arctic (MOCCHA). The seawater collected from these sources was used to carry out a set of nine experiments using a 210 L marine aerosol reference tank (MART) with a plunging jet aerosol generation system. The number concentration and size distribution of the generated sea spray aerosol particles were measured during each MART experiment. Aerosol particles were also collected for subsequent offline analysis by Raman microspectroscopy, providing individual particle functional group analysis, including identification of marine organic compounds, and computer-controlled scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive x-ray analysis (CCSEM-EDX), providing individual particle morphology and elemental composition. Additionally, the salinity, carbon content, nitrogen content, and chlorophyll concentration of the seawater, as well as the concentration of single-celled organisms in the seawater, were measured for each experiment. The connections we observed between seawater and sea spray aerosol composition will be discussed in this presentation.