ACP Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics ACP 1680-7324 Copernicus GmbH Göttingen, Germany 10.5194/acp-11-6265-2011 Atmospheric acidification of mineral aerosols: a source of bioavailable phosphorus for the oceans Nenes A. 1 2 3 Krom M. D. 4 Mihalopoulos N. 3 5 Van Cappellen P. 1 Shi Z. 4 Bougiatioti A. 5 Zarmpas P. 5 Herut B. 6 School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA Institute of Chemical Engineering and High Temperature Chemical Processes, Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas, Patras, Greece Earth and Biosphere Institute, School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK Department of Chemistry, University of Crete, Heraklion, Crete, Greece Israel Oceanographic Limnological Research, Tel Shikmona, Haifa, Israel 01 07 2011 11 13 6265 6272 This is an open-access article ditributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. This article is available from http://www.atmos-chem-phys.net/11/6265/2011/acp-11-6265-2011.html The full text article is available as a PDF file from http://www.atmos-chem-phys.net/11/6265/2011/acp-11-6265-2011.pdf

Primary productivity of continental and marine ecosystems is often limited or co-limited by phosphorus. Deposition of atmospheric aerosols provides the major external source of phosphorus to marine surface waters. However, only a fraction of deposited aerosol phosphorus is water soluble and available for uptake by phytoplankton. We propose that atmospheric acidification of aerosols is a prime mechanism producing soluble phosphorus from soil-derived minerals. Acid mobilization is expected to be pronounced where polluted and dust-laden air masses mix. Our hypothesis is supported by the soluble compositions and reconstructed pH values for atmospheric particulate matter samples collected over a 5-yr period at Finokalia, Crete. In addition, at least tenfold increase in soluble phosphorus was observed when Saharan soil and dust were acidified in laboratory experiments which simulate atmospheric conditions. Aerosol acidification links bioavailable phosphorus supply to anthropogenic and natural acidic gas emissions, and may be a key regulator of ocean biogeochemistry.

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