Atmospheric input of anthropogenic phosphorus to the northwest Mediterranean under oligotrophic conditions.
Phosphorus (P) concentration in the atmospheric aerosol was measured at a northwestern Mediterranean coastal site. Airborne P ranged between 25 and 85 ng m(-3) (geometric mean: 51 ng m(-3)). Due to a significant contribution (about 90%) of anthropogenic land-based source emissions, dry deposition velocities of 0.1-0.5 cm s(-1) were used to estimate a dry flux of 0.15-0.7 micromol P m(-2) day(-1). The theoretical impact of the dry flux on primary production (0.1-0.4 mg C m(-2) day(-1)) is 50-200-fold lower than that of a single significant wet event. The incineration plant of the Nice district is identified as a possible major source of airborne anthropogenic P. As the implementation of waste plants is currently expanding along the western European shores, the importance of the P atmospheric source to the western Mediterranean is likely to increase with time.
Migon
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C
Laboratoire de Physique et Chimie Marines, Université Paris 6, UA CNRS/INSU, Villefranche-sur-mer, France. migon@obs-vlfr.fr
Sandroni
V
V
Béthoux
J P
JP
D000336:Aerosols / Q000032:analysis*; D000392:Air Movements; D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D008522:Mediterranean Sea; D010758:Phosphorus / Q000032:analysis*; D012621:Seasons; D012623:Seawater; D012987:Soil / Q000032:analysis
D000336:Aerosols; D000393:Air Pollutants; D012987:Soil; D010758:Phosphorus