Abstract:
The authors have successfully designed, built and tested an aerosol sampler
which is capable of collecting, in an unattended manner, a time-series set of aerosol
samples (aerosol-embedded filters) from moored ocean buoys and remote areas on
land. Research on aerosols, in particular, and atmospheric chemistry, in general, has
not been previously attempted from buoys. Aerosols entering and leaving the ocean
play an important role in climate change, ocean productivity, pollutant transport and
atmospheric optics.
This report discusses (1) the scientific applications of a buoy-mounted aerosol
sampler, (2) the advantages of using buoys as research platforms and (3) the authors'
new instrument. Also discussed are the results of a four month test of the aerosol
sampler on the AEROCE (Atmosphere/Ocean Chemistry Experiment) tower in
Bermuda and the results of a three month test on a buoy moored in Vineyard Sound
off Woods Hole, MA USA. The direct comparison between WHOI filters and
AEROCE filters from the Bermuda tower is very encouraging as the Fe
concentrations of aerosols compare to within 10-15% over a wide range of values.
Aerosol sampling from a buoy moored in coastal waters was successfully tested under
a variety of atmospheric and oceanic conditions.
