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Atmospheric acidification of mineral aerosols: a source of bioavailable phosphorus for the oceans

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TLDR
In this paper, atmospheric acidification of aerosols is a prime mechanism producing soluble phosphorus from soil-derived minerals, which is supported by the soluble compositions and reconstructed pH values for atmospheric particulate matter samples collected over a 5-yr period at Finokalia, Crete.
Abstract
. Primary productivity of continental and marine ecosystems is often limited or co-limited by phosphorus. Deposition of atmospheric aerosols provides the major external source of phosphorus to marine surface waters. However, only a fraction of deposited aerosol phosphorus is water soluble and available for uptake by phytoplankton. We propose that atmospheric acidification of aerosols is a prime mechanism producing soluble phosphorus from soil-derived minerals. Acid mobilization is expected to be pronounced where polluted and dust-laden air masses mix. Our hypothesis is supported by the soluble compositions and reconstructed pH values for atmospheric particulate matter samples collected over a 5-yr period at Finokalia, Crete. In addition, at least tenfold increase in soluble phosphorus was observed when Saharan soil and dust were acidified in laboratory experiments which simulate atmospheric conditions. Aerosol acidification links bioavailable phosphorus supply to anthropogenic and natural acidic gas emissions, and may be a key regulator of ocean biogeochemistry.

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Atmospheric aerosol compositions in China: spatial/temporal variability, chemical signature, regional haze distribution and comparisons with global aerosols

TL;DR: In this article, the daily concentrations of major inorganic water-soluble constituents, mineral aerosol, organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC) in ambient PM10 samples were investigated from 16 urban, rural and remote sites in various regions of China, and were compared with global aerosol measurements.
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Fine-particle water and pH in the southeastern United States

TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated mass concentrations of particle water and related particle pH for ambient fine-mode aerosols sampled in a relatively remote Alabama forest during the Southern Oxidant and Aerosol Study (SOAS) in summer and at various sites in the southeastern US during different seasons, as part of the Southeastern Center for Air Pollution and Epidemiology (SCAPE) study.
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Global air quality and climate

TL;DR: Estimates from the current generation of chemistry-climate models with RCP emissions project improved air quality over the next century relative to those using the IPCC SRES scenarios, but confidence in air quality projections is limited by the reliability of anthropogenic emission trajectories and the uncertainties in regional climate responses, feedbacks with the terrestrial biosphere, and oxidation pathways affecting O(3) and SOA.
Journal ArticleDOI

Highly Acidic Ambient Particles, Soluble Metals, and Oxidative Potential: A Link between Sulfate and Aerosol Toxicity

TL;DR: It is shown that sulfate plays a key role in producing highly acidic fine aerosols capable of dissolving primary transition metals that contribute to aerosol OP, and may account for sulfate-health associations reported in past studies.
References
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Atmospheric chemistry and physics: from air pollution to climate change.

TL;DR: In this article, the authors present a model for the chemistry of the Troposphere of the atmosphere and describe the properties of the Atmospheric Aqueous phase of single aerosol particles.
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Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics: From Air Pollution to Climate Change

TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present a model for the chemistry of the Troposphere of the atmosphere and describe the properties of the Atmospheric Aqueous phase of single aerosol particles.
Journal ArticleDOI

Environmental characterization of global sources of atmospheric soil dust identified with the nimbus 7 total ozone mapping spectrometer (toms) absorbing aerosol product

TL;DR: In this article, the authors used the Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) sensor on the Nimbus 7 satellite to map the global distribution of major atmospheric dust sources with the goal of identifying common environmental characteristics.
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Aerosol acidification links bioavailable phosphorus supply to anthropogenic and natural acidic gas emissions, and may be a key regulator of ocean biogeochemistry.