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Marine Submicron Aerosols from the Gulf of Mexico: Polluted and Acidic with Rapid Production of Sulfate and Organosulfates. 2023

Shan Zhou, and Fangzhou Guo, and Chun-Ying Chao, and Subin Yoon, and Sergio L Alvarez, and Sujan Shrestha, and James H Flynn, and Sascha Usenko, and Rebecca J Sheesley, and Robert J Griffin
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, United States.

We measured submicron aerosols (PM1) at a beachfront site in Texas in Spring 2021 to characterize the "background" aerosol chemical composition advecting into Texas and the factors controlling this composition. Observations show that marine "background" aerosols from the Gulf of Mexico were highly processed and acidic; sulfate was the most abundant component (on average 57% of total PM1 mass), followed by organic material (26%). These chemical characteristics are similar to those observed at other marine locations globally. However, Gulf "background" aerosols were much more polluted; the average non-refractory (NR-) PM1 mass concentration was 3-70 times higher than that observed in other clean marine atmospheres. Anthropogenic shipping emissions over the Gulf of Mexico explain 78.3% of the total measured "background" sulfate in the Gulf air. We frequently observed haze pollution in the air mass from the Gulf, with significantly elevated concentrations of sulfate, organosulfates, and secondary organic aerosol associated with sulfuric acid. Analysis suggests that aqueous oxidation of shipping emissions over the Gulf of Mexico by peroxides in the particles might potentially be an important pathway for the rapid production of acidic sulfate and organosulfates during the haze episodes under acidic conditions.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D010084 Oxidation-Reduction A chemical reaction in which an electron is transferred from one molecule to another. The electron-donating molecule is the reducing agent or reductant; the electron-accepting molecule is the oxidizing agent or oxidant. Reducing and oxidizing agents function as conjugate reductant-oxidant pairs or redox pairs (Lehninger, Principles of Biochemistry, 1982, p471). Redox,Oxidation Reduction
D002681 China A country spanning from central Asia to the Pacific Ocean. Inner Mongolia,Manchuria,People's Republic of China,Sinkiang,Mainland China
D004784 Environmental Monitoring The monitoring of the level of toxins, chemical pollutants, microbial contaminants, or other harmful substances in the environment (soil, air, and water), workplace, or in the bodies of people and animals present in that environment. Monitoring, Environmental,Environmental Surveillance,Surveillance, Environmental
D000336 Aerosols Colloids with a gaseous dispersing phase and either liquid (fog) or solid (smoke) dispersed phase; used in fumigation or in inhalation therapy; may contain propellant agents. Aerosol
D000393 Air Pollutants Any substance in the air which could, if present in high enough concentration, harm humans, animals, vegetation or materials. Substances include GASES; PARTICULATE MATTER; and volatile ORGANIC CHEMICALS. Air Pollutant,Air Pollutants, Environmental,Environmental Air Pollutants,Environmental Pollutants, Air,Air Environmental Pollutants,Pollutant, Air,Pollutants, Air,Pollutants, Air Environmental,Pollutants, Environmental Air
D013431 Sulfates Inorganic salts of sulfuric acid. Sulfate,Sulfates, Inorganic,Inorganic Sulfates
D013461 Sulfur Oxides Inorganic oxides of sulfur. Oxides, Sulfur
D052638 Particulate Matter Particles of any solid substance, generally under 30 microns in size, often noted as PM30. There is special concern with PM1 which can get down to PULMONARY ALVEOLI and induce MACROPHAGE ACTIVATION and PHAGOCYTOSIS leading to FOREIGN BODY REACTION and LUNG DISEASES. Ultrafine Fiber,Ultrafine Fibers,Ultrafine Particle,Ultrafine Particles,Ultrafine Particulate Matter,Air Pollutants, Particulate,Airborne Particulate Matter,Ambient Particulate Matter,Fiber, Ultrafine,Particle, Ultrafine,Particles, Ultrafine,Particulate Air Pollutants,Particulate Matter, Airborne,Particulate Matter, Ambient,Particulate Matter, Ultrafine
D060851 Gulf of Mexico A body of water located at the southeastern corner of North America. It is bordered by the states to the north of Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas; by five Mexican states to the west: Tamaulipas, Veracruz, Tabasco, Campeche, Yucatan; and by Cuba to the southeast.

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