Atmospheric water-soluble organic nitrogen (WSON) over marine environments: a global perspective

To obtain a comprehensive picture on the spatial distribution of water soluble organic nitrogen (WSON) in marine aerosols, samples were collected during research cruises in the tropical and south Atlantic Ocean and during a one year period (2005) over the southern Indian Ocean (Amsterdam island). Samples have been analyzed for both organic and inorganic forms of nitrogen and the factors controlling their levels have been examined. Fine mode WSON was found to play a significant role in the remote marine atmosphere with enhanced biogenic activity, with concentrations of WSON (11.3 ± 3.3 nmol N m–3) accounting for about 84% of the total dissolved nitrogen (TDN). Such levels are similar to those observed in the polluted marine atmosphere of the eastern Mediterranean (11.6 ± 14.0 nmol N m–3). Anthropogenic activities were found to be an important source of atmospheric WSON as evidenced by the ten times higher levels in the Northern Hemisphere (NH) than in the remote Southern Hemisphere (SH). Furthermore, the higher contribution of WSON to TDN (40%) in the SH, compared to the NH (20%), underlines the important role of organic nitrogen in remote marine areas. Finally, Sahara dust was also identified as a significant source of WSON in the coarse mode aerosols of the NH.