Simultaneous Detection of Alkylamines in the Surface Ocean and Atmosphere of the Antarctic Sympagic Environment

Measurements of alkylamines from seawater and atmospheric samples collected simultaneously across the Antarctic Peninsula, South Orkney and South Georgia Islands are reported. Concentrations of mono-, di- and trimethylamine (MMA, DMA and TMA, respectively), and their precursors, the quarternary amin...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:ACS Earth and Space Chemistry
Main Authors: Dall’Osto, M, Airs, RL, Beale, R, Cree, Charlotte, Fitzsimons, Mark, Beddows, D, Harrison, RM, Ceburnis, D, O’Dowd, C, Rinaldi, M, Paglione, M, Nenes, A, Decesari, S, Simó, R
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: American Chemical Society 2019
Subjects:
Polar biogeochemistry
marine aerosol
ATOFMS
Secondary Aerosols
Southern Ocean
polar emissions
Polar ecology
Antarctic
Antarctic Peninsula
The Antarctic
Antarc*
Antarctica
Sea ice
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/10026.1/13697
https://doi.org/10.1021/acsearthspacechem.9b00028
Description
Summary:Measurements of alkylamines from seawater and atmospheric samples collected simultaneously across the Antarctic Peninsula, South Orkney and South Georgia Islands are reported. Concentrations of mono-, di- and trimethylamine (MMA, DMA and TMA, respectively), and their precursors, the quarternary amines glycine betaine and choline, were enhanced in sympagic sea water samples relative to ice-devoid pelagic ones, suggesting the microbiota of sea ice and sea ice-influenced ocean is a major source of these compounds. Primary sea-spray aerosol particles artificially generated by bubbling seawater samples were investigated by Aerosol Time-Of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (ATOFMS) of single particles; their mixing state indicated that alkylamines were aerosolized with sea spray from dissolved and particulate organic nitrogen pools. Despite this unequivocal sea spray-associated source of alkylamines, ATOFMS analyses of ambient aerosols in the sympagic region indicated that the majority (75-89 %) of aerosol alkylamines were of secondary origin, i.e., incorporated into the aerosol after gaseous air-sea exchange. These findings show that sympagic seawater properties are a source of alkylamines influencing the biogenic aerosol fluxed from the ocean into the boundary layer; these organic nitrogen compounds should be considered when assessing secondary aerosol formation processes in Antarctica.

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