Concentrations, size-distributions and air-to-sea fluxes of bio-active trace elements on the New Jersey coast

Abstract:

The coastal marine atmosphere adjacent to large urban and industrial centers can be strongly impacted by pollution emissions, resulting in high loading of pollutants in the ambient air. Among airborne substances are certain bioactive trace elements including Cd, Cu, and Zn from a variety of emission sources. High concentrations of these elements in coastal air could not only result in enhanced air-to-sea deposition fluxes to coastal waters, but they could also be transported over the open ocean, affecting the composition of the remote marine atmosphere. In this presentation, we will discuss the concentrations, particle-size distributions of selected trace elements in aerosols and their properties in precipitation observed on the New Jersey coast. The estimates of the air-to-water deposition fluxes of these elements will also be discussed.