A hypothetical model of organic matter sea-to-air exchange processes based on stable carbon fractionation in the Southern Ocean

Abstract:

Marine aerosol contributes significantly to the global aerosol loading and consequently has a significant impact on both the Earth's albedo and climate. Biological productivity in the global ocean is often resulting in significant amounts of primary organic matter in the aerosol phase. The North Atlantic Ocean is among the most productive oceanic regions and is the most studied ocean on Earth. The Southern Ocean, on the other hand, has been far less studied, even though similar organic matter enrichment patterns have been observed in marine aerosol. While numerous processes can contribute to organic matter in marine aerosols, carbon isotope analysis offers the most unambiguous estimates of the contributing sources. The stable carbon isotope ratios in marine aerosol samples collected during austral summer of 2007 at Amsterdam Island (Southern Indian Ocean) were examined. The measured δ¹³C values in the fine (D_a <2.5µm) and coarse (D_a >2.5µm) particle fractions were found to be evenly distributed between -28.2‰ and -20.0‰. These values are far lower than the previously reported ones as typical of unperturbed marine aerosol (-20‰). The δ¹³C values in the fine and coarse particle fractions were correlated with organic matter enrichment in sea spray. It was attempted to explain the variation of the δ¹³C values by the competition of the “fresh” and “old” organic matter pools in sea water during transfer into the aerosol phase, thereby implicating trophic level interactions. The hypothetical model suggests that fresh organic matter readily results in organic matter enrichment in sea spray particles and likely contains fresh colloidal and nanogel particulate matter, while the old organic matter is largely dissolved and unable to significantly enrich sea spray. Air mass back trajectory analysis suggests that the most productive regions, where sea spray particles are the most enriched in organic matter, are associated with low sea-water temperatures around the Antarctic Circumpolar current, thereby confirming an established relationship between sea-water temperature and phytoplankton stable isotope ratios. The proposed hypothetical model offers quantitative support for processes linking ocean biology and primary marine aerosol.