On the Fractional Solubillity of Copper in Marine Aerosols: Toxicity of Aeolian Copper Revisited

Paytan et al. (2009) argue that the atmospheric deposition of aerosols lead to copper concentrations that are potentially toxic to marine phytoplankton in a large area of tropical and subtropical North Atlantic Ocean. A key assumption in their model is that all marine aerosols (mineral dust and anth...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Sholkovitz, Edward R., Sedwick, Peter N., Church, Thomas M.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:unknown
Published: ODU Digital Commons 2010
Subjects:
Sargasso Sea
Trace elements
North Atlantic
Dry deposition
CU stress
Transport
Chelators
Bermuda
Metals
Phytoplankton
Copper
Aerosols
Atmospheric Sciences
Biogeochemistry
Environmental Sciences
Oceanography
Online Access:https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/oeas_fac_pubs/104
https://doi.org/10.1029/2010g044817
https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/context/oeas_fac_pubs/article/1090/viewcontent/Sholkovitz_2010_On_the_fractional_solubility_o.pdf
Description
Summary:Paytan et al. (2009) argue that the atmospheric deposition of aerosols lead to copper concentrations that are potentially toxic to marine phytoplankton in a large area of tropical and subtropical North Atlantic Ocean. A key assumption in their model is that all marine aerosols (mineral dust and anthropogenic particles) have a high (40%) fractional solubility of copper. Our data show that the fractional solubility of copper for Saharan dust over the Sargasso Sea and Bermuda is significantly lower (1-7%). In contrast, anthropogenic aerosols with non-Saharan sources have significantly higher values (10-100%). Hence, the potential Cu toxicity in the tropical and subtropical North Atlantic should be re-estimated, given the low fractional solubility of Cu in the Saharan dust that dominates aerosol deposition to this region.

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