Air–sea fluxes of oxygenated volatile organic compounds across the Atlantic Ocean
We present air–sea fluxes of oxygenated volatile organics compounds (OVOCs) quantified by eddy covariance (EC) during the Atlantic Meridional Transect cruise in 2012. Measurements of acetone, acetaldehyde, and methanol in air as well as in water were made in several different oceanic provinces and o...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Copernicus Publications
2014-07-01
|
| Series: | Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics |
| Online Access: | http://www.atmos-chem-phys.net/14/7499/2014/acp-14-7499-2014.pdf |
| Summary: | We present air–sea fluxes of oxygenated volatile organics compounds (OVOCs)
quantified by eddy covariance (EC) during the Atlantic Meridional Transect
cruise in 2012. Measurements of acetone, acetaldehyde, and methanol in air
as well as in water were made in several different oceanic provinces and
over a wide range of wind speeds (1–18 m s<sup>−1</sup>). The ocean appears to be
a net sink for acetone in the higher latitudes of the North Atlantic but a
source in the subtropics. In the South Atlantic, seawater acetone was near
saturation relative to the atmosphere, resulting in essentially zero net
flux. For acetaldehyde, the two-layer model predicts a small oceanic
emission, which was not well resolved by the EC method. Chemical enhancement
of air–sea acetaldehyde exchange due to aqueous hydration appears to be
minor. The deposition velocity of methanol correlates linearly with the
transfer velocity of sensible heat, confirming predominant airside control.
We examine the relationships between the OVOC concentrations in air as well
as in water, and quantify the gross emission and deposition fluxes of these
gases. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 1680-7316 1680-7324 |