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Rediscovering Atmospheric Surfactants

Rediscovering Atmospheric Surfactants In recent decades there has been surprisingly little research on surface-active compounds in the atmosphere. Why should we care, you ask? Are surfactants such a big deal? We know how anthropogenic surfactants in sea spay in some areas led to the death of long-established beach front pines, but is there a broader impact of atmospheric surfactants? Well, indeed there is, and it is the subject of continuing discussion and speculation. In the 1970s, a number of investigators studying organic micropollutants considered the existance of surface-active compounds in the atmosphere. Long-chain carboxylic acids were seen as a likely source of surface activity. There was also a growing interest in the potential of the sea surface microlayer to accumulate organic compounds and complexed metals, and to possibly transport the materials into the atmosphere during bubble bursting. [ 1,2 ] Appel et al. found some two thirds of the non-carbonate carbon in aerosols to be surface active. [ 3 ] By the early 1980s Seidl and Hänel [ 4 ] and Gill et al. [ 5 ] had established the presence of surface-active substances in both rainwater and aerosols, but only at some 50 picomoles per cubic metre, or 10% of http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Environmental Chemistry CSIRO Publishing

Rediscovering Atmospheric Surfactants

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Publisher
CSIRO Publishing
Copyright
CSIRO
ISSN
1448-2517
eISSN
1449-8979
DOI
10.1071/EN04044
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

In recent decades there has been surprisingly little research on surface-active compounds in the atmosphere. Why should we care, you ask? Are surfactants such a big deal? We know how anthropogenic surfactants in sea spay in some areas led to the death of long-established beach front pines, but is there a broader impact of atmospheric surfactants? Well, indeed there is, and it is the subject of continuing discussion and speculation. In the 1970s, a number of investigators studying organic micropollutants considered the existance of surface-active compounds in the atmosphere. Long-chain carboxylic acids were seen as a likely source of surface activity. There was also a growing interest in the potential of the sea surface microlayer to accumulate organic compounds and complexed metals, and to possibly transport the materials into the atmosphere during bubble bursting. [ 1,2 ] Appel et al. found some two thirds of the non-carbonate carbon in aerosols to be surface active. [ 3 ] By the early 1980s Seidl and Hänel [ 4 ] and Gill et al. [ 5 ] had established the presence of surface-active substances in both rainwater and aerosols, but only at some 50 picomoles per cubic metre, or 10% of

Journal

Environmental Chemistry – CSIRO Publishing

Published: Jun 30, 2004

Keywords: aerosols — atmospheric chemistry — chemical cycles — surfactants

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