Work

Turbulent Aerosol Fluxes From Airborne Measurements Over the Arctic Ocean

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Sea spray aerosol (SSA) emissions are an important source of natural aerosol particles, in particular over the remote Arctic Ocean. However, measurement data on SSA fluxes in the Arctic are sparse, such that these fluxes remain poorly constrained in atmospheric models. Utilizing simultaneous particle and turbulence measurements onboard the novel platform T‐Bird, we quantitatively derive size‐resolved SSA flux densities (dry diameter range 222–3,525 nm), representing the first airborne study on aerosol particle fluxes in the Arctic. In the accumulation mode size range, the measurements suggest roughly 100% higher emissions than predicted by commonly used sea salt generating functions. Our results constitute important information to evaluate model results, especially for the future Arctic, in which the magnitude of SSA fluxes is projected to increase as the sea ice retreats.

Source: Geophysical Research Letters

DOI: 10.1029/2025gl117094