Standardization of methods for determining the insoluble fraction of aerosols and the soluble fraction of iron and other compounds of environmental interest - in desert dust aerosol samples

Desert dust aerosols influence climate, marine biogeochemistry, and air quality. Between 50 and 701 tp/t of global dust emissions originate in North Africa. This suspended dust is exported primarily to the Atlantic in the Saharan Air Layer (SAL). The aerosols contained in the SAL influence climate by interacting with solar radiation, affecting cloud formation and properties, and modulating CO₂ exchange between the ocean and the atmosphere through iron fertilization of the ocean. This influence of aerosols depends on their physicochemical properties (size, mineralogy, composition, etc.) and the degree of mixing with pollutants that can alter their solubility. During the summer, the SAL passes over the Canary Islands, which is why the Izaña Observatory conducts research on this topic. Currently, there are no reference methods for The amount of desert dust present in the aerosol cannot be determined, nor can some relevant properties, such as the solubility of certain metals in seawater or rainwater, be assessed. Furthermore, some analytical methods for quantifying the amount of desert dust in the aerosol are relatively expensive, which limits their use. The objective of this project is to optimize and standardize extraction methods for that allow the separation of the soluble and insoluble fractions of various components of the atmospheric aerosol, especially iron and other metals of environmental interest, the total dust fraction, anions and cations.

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ULL Team

• Jessica Lopez Darias
• Juan Heliodoro Ayala Díaz