Lake spray aerosol emissions alter nitrogen partitioning in the Great
Lakes region
Abstract
We develop a new, wind-driven lake spray aerosol (LSA) emissions
parameterization that resolves both particle size and chemical
composition, and investigate the impact of these emissions on regional
chemistry in the Great Lakes region. We conduct WRF-Chem simulations for
November 2015, a time period with high LSA emissions. LSA particles
emitted from the surface of the Great Lakes increase particulate
NO$_{3}^{-}$ by 46\% over the Great Lakes and
by 16\% over land, primarily due to heterogeneous
reactions between CaCO$_{3}$ and HNO$_{3}$. Cations emitted
from lake spray affect the thermodynamic equilibrium, reducing
particulate NH$_{4}^{+}$ by 42\% over the
Great Lakes and by 6\% over the surrounding land. This
also influences gas-phase species in the region, decreasing nitric acid
by up to 71\% over lakes. Overall, these simulations
suggest that understanding LSA and its impact on other air pollutants is
important for determining health and climate effects in the Great Lakes
region.