Revealing the composition and optical properties of marine carbonaceous aerosols: A case of the eastern China marginal seas

Kuanyun Hu; Jie Hu; Narcisse Tsona Tchinda; Christian George; Jianlong Li; Lin Du

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.178136

Revealing the composition and optical properties of marine carbonaceous aerosols: A case of the eastern China marginal seas

Sci Total Environ. 2024 Dec 19:958:178136. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.178136. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Kuanyun Hu¹, Jie Hu¹, Narcisse Tsona Tchinda¹, Christian George², Jianlong Li³, Lin Du⁴

Affiliations

¹ Qingdao Key Laboratory for Prevention and Control of Atmospheric Pollution in Coastal Cities, Environment Research Institute, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, China.
² Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, IRCELYON, UMR 5256, Villeurbanne F-69100, France; School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, China.
³ Qingdao Key Laboratory for Prevention and Control of Atmospheric Pollution in Coastal Cities, Environment Research Institute, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, China. Electronic address: jianlongli@sdu.edu.cn.
⁴ Qingdao Key Laboratory for Prevention and Control of Atmospheric Pollution in Coastal Cities, Environment Research Institute, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, China. Electronic address: lindu@sdu.edu.cn.

PMID: 39705957
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.178136

Abstract

Marine aerosols are major components of atmospheric aerosols, playing substantial roles in influencing the regional and global environment and climate. Marine aerosols are not only produced by seawater directly, but also by indirect processes such as atmospheric oxidation of marine bioactive gases as well as terrestrial transport. Over the Eastern China Marginal Seas (ECMS), marine aerosols are strongly affected by marine emission and transport of terrestrial aerosols. However, only few studies have paid attention to the optical properties across three marginal seas. In this study, marine aerosol samples were collected from the entire ECMS in spring 2023 to explore the composition and properties of carbonaceous species. Due to the significant influence of terrestrial transport on Bohai Sea, the average concentration of total suspended particles (TSP) is as high as (359.65 ± 150.45) μg m^-3, while the average concentrations of organic carbon (OC) and element carbon (EC) can be up to (17.99 ± 7.71) μg m^-3 and (3.28 ± 1.23) μg m^-3, respectively. Besides, intense solar radiation may be a potential factor leading to an increase in the solubility of OC in aerosols over southern Yellow Sea. The light-absorbing capacity (MAE₃₆₅) of water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC) is higher in northern sea region, being (0.58 ± 0.11) m² g^-1 in Bohai Sea, (0.40 ± 0.12) m² g^-1 in Yellow Sea and (0.29 ± 0.11) m² g^-1 in East China Sea. The current results show that humic-like and protein-like substances are the main fluorescent components in water-soluble organic matter. Terrestrial sources enhance the warming effect of aerosols over ECMS by about 1.5-2 times more than marine sources. This study suggests that future research should focus on the impact of terrestrial sources on the northern region of ECMS and the impact of marine sources on the southern region of ECMS.

Keywords: Carbonaceous components; Land–sea interactions; Marine aerosols; Optical property; Radiative forcing; Water–soluble organic carbon.