DEFINING THE CHEMICAL CHARACTER OF AEROSOLS FROM THE ATMOSPHERE OF THE MEDITERRANEAN-SEA AND SURROUNDING REGIONS

Date

1993-01-01

Author

CHESTER, R
NIMMO, M
ALARCON, M
SAYDAM, C
MURPHY, KJT
SANDERS, GS
CORCORAN, P

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Atmospherically-transported trace metals can play an important role in biogeochemical cycles in the Mediterranean Sea. However, although the magnitude of trace metal air to sea fluxes is initially dependent on the metal concentrations in the air, it is the ''chemical character'' of the aerosol which constrains the fate of the metals in sea water; for example, the solubility of trace metals is considerably greater from anthropogenic than from crustal components. To a first approximation the chemical composition of the Mediterranean particulate aerosol is controlled by the extent to which an anthropogenic-rich ''background'' material, having a mainly European origin, is perturbed by mixing with crustal components having a desert origin. These perturbations offer an environmentally meaningful index which can be used to define the ''chemical character'' of the Mediterranean particulate aerosol in terms of the manner in which trace metals are partitioned between the anthropogenic and crustal components.

Subject Keywords

Mediterranean atmosphere, Aerosol, Trace metals, European background, Saharan dust

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11511/68453

Collections

Graduate School of Marine Sciences, Article