A study of the sea-salt chemistry using size-segregated aerosol measurements at coastal Antarctic station Neumayer

Aerosol chemical and physical properties were measured in 2010 at Neumayer research station, Antarctica. Samples for chemical analysis (ion chromatography) were collected using a Teflon/Nylon filter combination (TNy) sampler, and with a multi stage low pressure impactor (SDI). Particle number concen...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Atmospheric Environment
Main Authors: Teinilä, Kimmo, Frey, Anna, Hillamo, Risto, Tülp, Holger Cornelius, Weller, Rolf
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:unknown
Published: PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD 2014
Subjects:
Online Access:https://epic.awi.de/id/eprint/34617/
https://epic.awi.de/id/eprint/34617/1/Teinilae_etal_manuscript.pdf
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1352231014005469
https://hdl.handle.net/10013/epic.43852
https://hdl.handle.net/10013/epic.43852.d001
Description
Summary:Aerosol chemical and physical properties were measured in 2010 at Neumayer research station, Antarctica. Samples for chemical analysis (ion chromatography) were collected using a Teflon/Nylon filter combination (TNy) sampler, and with a multi stage low pressure impactor (SDI). Particle number concentration was measured continuously with a Grimm OPC optical particle counter. Total particle number concentration varied largely throughout the year, and the highest number concentrations for particles larger than 0.3 μm were observed simultaneously with the highest sea salt concentrations. About 50% of the sea salt aerosol mass was found in the submicron size range. Below 0.2 μm of particle aerodynamic diameter the contribution of sea salt aerosols was negligible. Further analysis showed that sea salt aerosols had undergone physico-chemical processes, either during the transportation, or during their formation. High degree of chloride depletion was observed during austral summer, when the presence of acidic gases exhibit their characteristic seasonal maximum. Apart from chloride depletion, excess chloride relating to sodium was also detected in one SDI sample, indicating actually a sodium depletion by mirabilite formation on freshly formed sea ice areas. Analysis of selected episodes showed that the concentration of sea salt particles, their modal structure, and their chemical composition is connected with their source areas, their formation mechanisms, and local transport history.