title: Connecting marine productivity to sea-spray via nanoscale biological processes: Phytoplankton Dance or Death Disco?
abstract: Bursting bubbles at the ocean-surface produce airborne salt-water spray-droplets, in turn, forming climate-cooling marine haze and cloud layers. The reflectance and ultimate cooling effect of these layers is determined by the spray's water-uptake properties that are modified through entrainment of ocean-surface organic matter (OM) into the airborne droplets. We present new results illustrating a clear dependence of OM mass-fraction enrichment in sea spray (OMss) on both phytoplankton-biomass, determined from Chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) and Net Primary Productivity (NPP). The correlation coefficient for OMss as a function of Chl-a increased form 0.67 on a daily timescale to 0.85 on a monthly timescale. An even stronger correlation was found as a function of NPP, increasing to 0.93 on a monthly timescale. We suggest the observed dependence is through the demise of the bloom, driven by nanoscale biological processes (such as viral infections), releasing large quantities of transferable OM comprising cell debris, exudates and other colloidal materials. This OM, through aggregation processes, leads to enrichment in sea-spray, thus demonstrating an important coupling between biologically-driven plankton bloom termination, marine productivity and sea-spray modification with potentially significant climate impacts.
authors.affiliation: School of Physics &Centre for Climate and Air Pollution Studies, Ryan Institute, National University of Ireland Galway, University Road, Galway, Ireland.
authors.forename: Colin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: O'Dowd
authors.affiliation: School of Physics &Centre for Climate and Air Pollution Studies, Ryan Institute, National University of Ireland Galway, University Road, Galway, Ireland.
authors.forename: Darius
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ceburnis
authors.affiliation: School of Physics &Centre for Climate and Air Pollution Studies, Ryan Institute, National University of Ireland Galway, University Road, Galway, Ireland.
authors.forename: Jurgita
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ovadnevaite
authors.affiliation: School of Physics &Centre for Climate and Air Pollution Studies, Ryan Institute, National University of Ireland Galway, University Road, Galway, Ireland.
authors.forename: Jakub
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bialek
authors.affiliation: School of Natural Sciences &Centre for Climate and Air Pollution Studies, Ryan Institute, National University of Ireland Galway, University Road, Galway, Ireland.
authors.forename: Dagmar B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Stengel
authors.affiliation: School of Natural Sciences &Centre for Climate and Air Pollution Studies, Ryan Institute, National University of Ireland Galway, University Road, Galway, Ireland.
authors.forename: Merry
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zacharias
authors.affiliation: School of Natural Sciences &Centre for Climate and Air Pollution Studies, Ryan Institute, National University of Ireland Galway, University Road, Galway, Ireland.
authors.forename: Udo
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Nitschke
authors.affiliation: School of Natural Sciences &Centre for Climate and Air Pollution Studies, Ryan Institute, National University of Ireland Galway, University Road, Galway, Ireland.
authors.forename: Solene
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Connan
authors.affiliation: CNR-ISAC, Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Matteo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rinaldi
authors.affiliation: CNR-ISAC, Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Sandro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fuzzi
authors.affiliation: CNR-ISAC, Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Decesari
authors.affiliation: CNR-ISAC, Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Maria Cristina
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Facchini
authors.affiliation: Agenzia nazionale per le nuove tecnologie, l'energia e lo sviluppo economico sostenibile, ENEA - Centro Ricerche Frascati, Frascati, Italy.
authors.forename: Salvatore
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Marullo
authors.affiliation: CNR-ISAC, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Rosalia
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Santoleri
authors.affiliation: Department of Life and Environmental Sciences Polytechnic University of Marche, Ancona, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dell'Anno
authors.affiliation: Department of Life and Environmental Sciences Polytechnic University of Marche, Ancona, Italy.
authors.forename: Cinzia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Corinaldesi
authors.affiliation: Department of Life and Environmental Sciences Polytechnic University of Marche, Ancona, Italy.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tangherlini
authors.affiliation: Department of Life and Environmental Sciences Polytechnic University of Marche, Ancona, Italy.
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Danovaro
mesh_terms: D000336:Aerosols / Q000737:chemistry*; D001272:Atmosphere / Q000737:chemistry*; D017753:Ecosystem; D008386:Marine Biology / Q000379:methods; D009792:Oceans and Seas; D010839:Phytoplankton / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000166:cytology / Q000254:growth & development*; D012621:Seasons; D012623:Seawater / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D000336:Aerosols