Exploring controlling factors for sea spray aerosol production: temperature, inorganic ions and organic surfactants

This work addresses the production of aerosol particles from bursting of air bubbles at the water-air interface. Experiments were performed in a laboratory system designed to minimize bubble interactions. Air bubbles of an equivalent spherical radius of ∼3 mm were generated in both real and artifici...

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Main Authors: Lærke Sloth Nielsen, Merete Bilde
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Stockholm University Press 2020-01-01
Series:Tellus: Series B, Chemical and Physical Meteorology
Subjects:
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/16000889.2020.1801305
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author Lærke Sloth Nielsen
Merete Bilde
author_facet Lærke Sloth Nielsen
Merete Bilde
author_sort Lærke Sloth Nielsen
collection DOAJ
description This work addresses the production of aerosol particles from bursting of air bubbles at the water-air interface. Experiments were performed in a laboratory system designed to minimize bubble interactions. Air bubbles of an equivalent spherical radius of ∼3 mm were generated in both real and artificial seawater at temperatures of 0 and 19 °C respectively. Particle concentrations were measured and used to derive particle production per bursting bubble. The particle production in surface seawater from the Bay of Aarhus showed remarkably strong sensitivity to temperature, with ∼40 particles per bursting bubble at 19 °C compared to ∼2300 particles per bubble at 0 °C. A similar effect was observed for bubbles bursting in NaCl solutions. In contrast, the effect of temperature on particle production from artificial seawater was minimal. Further experiments including exclusion of selected inorganic components from artificial seawater point to magnesium and calcium ions as key role players on the effect of temperature. Experiments adding varying amounts of the weak surfactant succinic acid to sodium chloride solutions showed that the influence of temperature on particle production can also be modulated by organic molecules. A complex interplay between inorganic and organic constituents seems to determine the response of particle production to temperature in real seawater. Our study demonstrates that temperature can have a very large (orders of magnitude) effect on the production of particles formed from bubbles bursting at the liquid/air interface, and that chemical composition of the liquid is a controlling parameter for the magnitude of this effect.
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spelling doaj.art-d58b2d36c19e43969cdcde67e12c44162022-12-22T02:10:48ZengStockholm University PressTellus: Series B, Chemical and Physical Meteorology1600-08892020-01-0172111010.1080/16000889.2020.18013051801305Exploring controlling factors for sea spray aerosol production: temperature, inorganic ions and organic surfactantsLærke Sloth Nielsen0Merete Bilde1Department of Chemistry and Interdisciplinary Center for Climate Change, Aarhus UniversityDepartment of Chemistry and Interdisciplinary Center for Climate Change, Aarhus UniversityThis work addresses the production of aerosol particles from bursting of air bubbles at the water-air interface. Experiments were performed in a laboratory system designed to minimize bubble interactions. Air bubbles of an equivalent spherical radius of ∼3 mm were generated in both real and artificial seawater at temperatures of 0 and 19 °C respectively. Particle concentrations were measured and used to derive particle production per bursting bubble. The particle production in surface seawater from the Bay of Aarhus showed remarkably strong sensitivity to temperature, with ∼40 particles per bursting bubble at 19 °C compared to ∼2300 particles per bubble at 0 °C. A similar effect was observed for bubbles bursting in NaCl solutions. In contrast, the effect of temperature on particle production from artificial seawater was minimal. Further experiments including exclusion of selected inorganic components from artificial seawater point to magnesium and calcium ions as key role players on the effect of temperature. Experiments adding varying amounts of the weak surfactant succinic acid to sodium chloride solutions showed that the influence of temperature on particle production can also be modulated by organic molecules. A complex interplay between inorganic and organic constituents seems to determine the response of particle production to temperature in real seawater. Our study demonstrates that temperature can have a very large (orders of magnitude) effect on the production of particles formed from bubbles bursting at the liquid/air interface, and that chemical composition of the liquid is a controlling parameter for the magnitude of this effect.http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/16000889.2020.1801305keywords: sea spray aerosolbubble burstingtemperaturesingle bubblessurfactants
spellingShingle Lærke Sloth Nielsen
Merete Bilde
Exploring controlling factors for sea spray aerosol production: temperature, inorganic ions and organic surfactants
Tellus: Series B, Chemical and Physical Meteorology
keywords: sea spray aerosol
bubble bursting
temperature
single bubbles
surfactants
title Exploring controlling factors for sea spray aerosol production: temperature, inorganic ions and organic surfactants
title_full Exploring controlling factors for sea spray aerosol production: temperature, inorganic ions and organic surfactants
title_fullStr Exploring controlling factors for sea spray aerosol production: temperature, inorganic ions and organic surfactants
title_full_unstemmed Exploring controlling factors for sea spray aerosol production: temperature, inorganic ions and organic surfactants
title_short Exploring controlling factors for sea spray aerosol production: temperature, inorganic ions and organic surfactants
title_sort exploring controlling factors for sea spray aerosol production temperature inorganic ions and organic surfactants
topic keywords: sea spray aerosol
bubble bursting
temperature
single bubbles
surfactants
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/16000889.2020.1801305
work_keys_str_mv AT lærkeslothnielsen exploringcontrollingfactorsforseasprayaerosolproductiontemperatureinorganicionsandorganicsurfactants
AT meretebilde exploringcontrollingfactorsforseasprayaerosolproductiontemperatureinorganicionsandorganicsurfactants