Chemical characterization of aerosols in the equatorial atmosphere over the Indian Ocean

Abstract

The region of the Indian Ocean and adjacent countries has received increased attention in recent years in the context of particulate air pollution. Aerosol samples were collected over the equatorial Indian Ocean during a one-year-long sailing cruise that covered the northeast and southwest monsoons, and an inter-monsoon period. The concentrations of airborne particulate matter (PM), selected metals and water-soluble ions were measured. In general, the PM concentrations were influenced by the proximity of sampling locations to land and air mass origins. The enrichment of metals in PM relative to those in the crustal material was very high (up to 40,000). The metal concentrations were significantly higher in PM samples which were influenced by volcanic emissions from the land masses of Indonesia. Volcanic plumes were traced using backward air mass trajectory and chemical tracers, and identified as a major particulate pollution source to the otherwise pristine air of the southern hemisphere of the Indian Ocean. NO3−, NH4+ and SO42− were low in aerosols collected over the open ocean, but a linear relationship between NH4+ and SO42− indicates their importance in the formation of cloud condensation nuclei.