Chemical composition of cloud water in the puerto rican tropical trade wind cumuli

As part of the Rain In Cumulus over the Ocean Experiment (RICO) and the Puerto Rico Aerosol and Cloud Study (PRACS), cloud water was collected at East Peak (EP) in Puerto Rico. The main objective of this study was to determine the concentrations of water-soluble species (Cl-, NO3 -, SO4 2-, NH4 +, C...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Gioda, A., Mayol-Bracero, O.L., Morales-García, F., Collett, J., Decesari, S., Emblico, L., Facchini, M.C., Morales-De Jesús, R.J., Mertes, S., Borrmann, S., Walter, S., Schneider, J.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Dordrecht : Springer 2009
Subjects:
Cloud chemistry
Cloud condensation nuclei
Inorganic ions
PRACS
RICO
Sea salt
Calcium
Clouds
Commerce
Condensation
Ocean engineering
Oceanography
Concentration (process)
ammonia
calcium ion
chloride ion
ion
magnesium ion
nitrate
potassium ion
proton
rain
sodium ion
sulfate
chemical composition
cloud water
concentration (composition)
article
cloud
geographic distribution
marine environment
particle size
pH measurement
Puerto Rico
water sampling
wind
Atlantic islands
Atlantic Ocean
Caribbean Islands
Greater Antilles
550
East Peak
North Atlantic
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.34657/4174
https://oa.tib.eu/renate/handle/123456789/5545
Description
Summary:As part of the Rain In Cumulus over the Ocean Experiment (RICO) and the Puerto Rico Aerosol and Cloud Study (PRACS), cloud water was collected at East Peak (EP) in Puerto Rico. The main objective of this study was to determine the concentrations of water-soluble species (Cl-, NO3 -, SO4 2-, NH4 +, Ca 2+, H+, Mg2+, K+, and Na +) in water samples taken from clouds influenced by tropical trade winds. The most abundant inorganic species were Na+ (average 465 μeq l-1) and Cl- (434 μeq l-1), followed by Mg2+ (105 μeq l-1), SO4 2- (61 μeq l-1), and NO3 - (25 μeq l -1). High concentrations of nss-SO4 2 (28 μeq l-1), NO3 - (86 μeq l-1), and H+ (14.5 μeq l-1) were measured with a shift in air masses origin from the North Atlantic to North American continent, which reflected a strong anthropogenic influence on cloud chemistry at EP. Long-range transport of particles and acid gases seems to be the factor responsible for fluctuations in concentrations and pH of cloud water at East Peak. When under trade wind influences the liquid phase concentrations of all inorganic substances were similar to those found in clouds in other clean maritime environments. © 2008 Springer Science+Business Media B.V. publishedVersion

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