The Cloud Nucleating Properties and Mixing State of Marine Aerosols Sampled along the Southern California Coast

Gaston, Cassandra J.; Cahill, John F.; Collins, Douglas B.; Suski, Kaitlyn J.; Ge, Jimmy Y.; Barkley, Anne E.; Prather, Kimberly A.

doi:10.3390/atmos9020052

Cited by 14 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 65 publications

(110 reference statements)

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“…In addition, the accumulation mode organics appear to be dissimilar, at least in terms of hygroscopicity, to those in freshly emitted SSA. The range of κ values reported here agree with those previously reported for Pacific Ocean marine atmospheres (Gaston et al, ; Roberts et al, ).…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 92%

Seasonal Variations in Western North Atlantic Remote Marine Aerosol Properties

et al. 2019

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The impact of ocean ecosystems on marine boundary layer aerosols and clouds has been the subject of much research but remains uncertain. Five experiments were recently conducted in the western North Atlantic to assess if the seasonally recurring phytoplankton bloom affects aerosol properties. These experiments include the second Western Atlantic Climate Study and four North Atlantic Aerosols and Marine Ecosystem Study cruises. Measurements of unheated and heated number size distributions, cloud condensation nucleus (CCN) concentrations, and aerosol composition were used to identify primary and secondary aerosol components that could be related to the state of the bloom. Only periods of clean marine air, as defined by radon, particle number concentrations, aerosol light absorption coefficient, and back trajectories, were included in the analysis. Nonvolatile material was found to be prevalent in the Aitken mode size range after heating to 230°, likely due to downward mixing from the free troposphere. CCN concentrations at 0.1% supersaturation were best correlated (r2 = 0.73) with accumulation mode nss SO4=. Sea spray aerosol was only correlated with CCN during November when bloom accumulation had not yet occurred and dimethylsulfide concentrations were at a minimum. The fraction of CCN attributable to sea spray aerosol was less than 20% during March, May/June, and September, indicating the limited contribution of sea spray aerosol to the CCN population of the western North Atlantic atmosphere. The strongest link between the plankton bloom and aerosol and cloud properties appears to be due to biogenic non‐sea salt SO4=.

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 92%

Seasonal Variations in Western North Atlantic Remote Marine Aerosol Properties

et al. 2019

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“…Collins et al (2016) found global marine κ values ranged from 0.70 to 1.4 with an average of 0.95 ± 0.15. The κ values from the present study are higher than those observed along the coast of Southern California which averaged 0.22 ± 0.12; however, this study reported that pollution and other anthropogenic sources led to possible decreases in κ values (Gaston et al, 2018). To our knowledge, this is the first study to determine κ values directly from aerosols generated by SML samples.…”

Section: Ccn Measurementscontrasting

confidence: 79%

Role of Sea Surface Microlayer Properties in Cloud Formation

et al. 2021

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To date, the relative contribution of primary marine organic matter to the subset of atmospheric particles that nucleate cloud droplets is highly uncertain. Here, cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) measurements were conducted on aerosolized sea surface microlayer (SML) samples collected from the North Atlantic Ocean during the NASA North Atlantic Aerosols and Marine Ecosystems Study (NAAMES), κ values were predicted for three representative high molecular weight (HMW) organic components of marine aerosol: 6-glucose, humic acid, and ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RuBisCO). The predicted κ values for pure organic aerosols varied by only ±0.01 across all of the organics chosen. For the desalted SML samples, calculations assuming an organic composition of entirely RuBisCO provided the closest predicted κ values for the desalted SML samples with a mean κ value of 0.53 ± 0.10. These results indicate that it is the sea salt in the SML which drives the cloud formation potential of marine aerosols. While the presence of organic material from the ocean surface waters may increase aerosol mass due to enrichment processes, cloud formation potential of mixed organic/salt primary marine aerosols will be slightly weakened or unchanged compared to sea spray aerosol.

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“…Both CCN and INP activations are dependent on individual particle size and composition. ,− Previous studies in marine environments have shown that SSA can act as both CCN or INPs, ,,− with efficiencies varying with seawater composition. ,, Laboratory studies suggest increased INP efficiency from freshwater samples, particularly those containing biological material. − Borduas-Dedekind et al recently found increased CCN activity for freshwater containing organic matter, suggesting that the incorporation of organics into LSA may increase the CCN ability of LSA particles . Notably, recent field studies (River Gwaun in Ireland and Mississippi River in the U.S.) have shown freshwater INP concentrations that are orders of magnitude greater than INP concentrations in seawater. , However, to our knowledge, the CCN and INP efficiencies of aerosolized LSA have not been characterized.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lake Spray Aerosol Incorporated into Great Lakes Clouds

Olson

May

Kirpes

et al. 2019

ACS Earth Space Chem.

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Aerosol particles are generated by wind-driven processes in regions with large bodies of freshwater, but the impact of these particles on cloud properties and processes is poorly understood. Lake spray aerosol (LSA) production from freshwater wave breaking has the potential to contribute to cloud formation and modify cloud properties by acting as cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) and ice nucleating particles (INPs). To examine whether LSA reaches cloud height and is incorporated into clouds over the Laurentian Great Lakes, sampling of atmospheric particles and cloud water was conducted over Lake Michigan during a summertime wave-breaking event with wave heights of >1.4 m and wind speeds of >9 m s −1 . Single-particle microscopy and spectroscopy identified ambient LSA that had composition (CaCO 3 and organic material) and morphology (spherical) consistent with LSA generated in the laboratory from surface freshwater collected at the time of ambient sampling. Cloud water was aerosolized in the laboratory, and the resulting composition and morphology of the insoluble residues were similar to ambient and laboratory-generated LSA particles. Elemental mole ratios of LSA and cloud water demonstrated that clouds over the Great Lakes contain similar inorganic salt composition to that of LSA and freshwater lakes. Therefore, LSA is likely a source of CCN and possibly INPs over the Great Lakes, which could potentially influence lake-effect cloud formation and properties. This has important implications for cloud microphysical and radiative properties in the Great Lakes region, as well as other areas with large bodies of freshwater.

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The Cloud Nucleating Properties and Mixing State of Marine Aerosols Sampled along the Southern California Coast

Cited by 14 publications

References 65 publications

Seasonal Variations in Western North Atlantic Remote Marine Aerosol Properties

Seasonal Variations in Western North Atlantic Remote Marine Aerosol Properties

Role of Sea Surface Microlayer Properties in Cloud Formation

Lake Spray Aerosol Incorporated into Great Lakes Clouds

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