- Madawala, Chamika;
- Molina, Carolina;
- Kim, Deborah;
- Gamage, Dilini;
- Sun, Mengnan;
- Leibensperger, Raymond;
- Mehndiratta, Lincoln;
- Lee, Jennie;
- Kaluarachchi, Chathuri;
- Kimble, KeLa;
- Sandstrom, Greg;
- Harb, Charbel;
- Dinasquet, Julie;
- Malfatti, Francesca;
- Prather, Kimberly;
- Deane, Grant;
- Stokes, M;
- Lee, Christopher;
- Slade, Jonathan;
- Stone, Elizabeth;
- Grassian, Vicki;
- Tivanski, Alexei
Variable wind speeds over the ocean can have a significant impact on the formation mechanism and physical-chemical properties of sea spray aerosols (SSA), which in turn influence their climate-relevant impacts. Herein, for the first time, we investigate the effects of wind speed on size-dependent morphology and composition of individual nascent SSA generated from wind-wave interactions of natural seawater within a wind-wave channel as a function of size and their particle-to-particle variability. Filter-based thermal optical analysis, atomic force microscopy (AFM), AFM infrared spectroscopy (AFM-IR), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were employed in this regard. This study focuses on SSA with sizes within 0.04-1.8 μm generated at two wind speeds: 10 m/s, representing a wind lull scenario over the ocean, and 19 m/s, indicative of the wind speeds encountered in stormy conditions. Filter-based measurements revealed a reduction of the organic mass fraction as the wind speed increases. AFM imaging at 20% relative humidity of individual SSA identified six main morphologies: prism-like, rounded, core-shell, rod, rod inclusion core-shell, and aggregates. At 10 m/s, most SSA were rounded, while at 19 m/s, core-shells became predominant. Based on AFM-IR, rounded SSA at both wind speeds had similar composition, mainly composed of aliphatic and oxygenated species, whereas the shells of core-shells displayed more oxygenated organics at 19 m/s and more aliphatic organics at 10 m/s. Collectively, our observations can be attributed to the disruption of the sea surface microlayer film structure at higher wind speeds. The findings reveal a significant impact of wind speed on morphology and composition of SSA, which should be accounted for accurate assessment of their climate effects.