Publication Date:
2014-03-07
Description:
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in atmospheric aerosols and air–sea exchange in the Mediterranean Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions, 14, 5963-5990, 2014 Author(s): M. D. Mulder, A. Heil, P. Kukučka, J. Klánová, J. Kuta, R. Prokeš, F. Sprovieri, and G. Lammel Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) concentration in air of the central and eastern Mediterranean in summer 2010 was 1.45 (0.30–3.25) ng m −3 , with ≈8% in the particulate phase, associated with particles 〈 0.25 μm. The diffusive air–sea exchange fluxes of fluoranthene and pyrene were mostly found net-depositional or close to phase equilibrium, while retene was net-volatilisational in a large sea region. Regional fire activity records in combination with box model simulations suggest that seasonal depositional input of retene from biomass burning into the surface waters during summer is followed by an annual reversal of air–sea exchange, while inter-annual variability is dominated by the variability of the fire season. It is concluded that future negative emission trends or interannual variability of regional sources may trigger the sea to become a secondary PAH source through reversal of diffusive air–sea exchange.
Print ISSN:
1680-7367
Electronic ISSN:
1680-7375
Topics:
Geosciences
