Speciation and water soluble fraction of iron in aerosols from various sources

Iron (Fe) is an essential micronutrient and has been identified as a limiting factor for phytoplankton growth in high-nitrate low-chlorophyll (HNLC) regions of the ocean. In the North Pacific, three sources of iron (Fe) transported via. atmosphere can be suggested: (i) mineral dust from East Asia, (ii) anthropogenic Fe, and (iii) aerosols from volcanic origin. Considering these different sources, Fe can be found and transported in a variety of chemical forms, both water-soluble and -insoluble. It is generally believed that only the soluble fraction of Fe can be considered as bioavailable for phytoplankton. To assess the biogeochemical impact of the atmospheric input, attempt was made to determine Fe species by X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and its water solubility, in particular to compare the three sources. Iron species, chemical composition, and soluble Fe concentration in aerosol collected at Tsukuba (Japan) through a year were investigated to compare the contributions of mineral dust and anthropogenic components. It was found that the concentration of soluble Fe in aerosol is correlated with those of sulfate and oxalate which originate from anthropogenic sources, suggesting that soluble Fe is mainly derived from anthropogenic sources. XAS analysis showed that main Fe species in aerosols in Tsukuba were illite, ferrihydrite, hornblende, and Fe(III) sulfate. Moreover, soluble Fe fraction is closely correlated with that of Fe(III) sulfate. In spite of supply of high concentrations of Fe in mineral dust from East Asia, it was found that anthropogenic fraction is important due to its high water solubility by the presence of Fe(III) sulfate. Marine aerosol samples originated from volcanic ash were collected in the western North Pacific during KH-08-2 cruise (August, 2008). XAS analysis suggested that Fe species of volcanic ashes changed during the long-range transport, while dissolution experiment showed that Fe solubility of the marine aerosol is larger than that of volcanic ashes, possibly due to the transform of insoluble Fe originally contained in volcanic ashes into the aerosols with highly soluble Fe such as Fe(II) sulfate. Iit was found that the soluble Fe content in the aerosol supplied as volcanic ashes should be important due to the very high soluble Fe content in the aerosol of volcanic origin.