Sea-air transfer of a tracer dye observed during the Tracer Release Experiment with implications for airborne contaminant exposure
2022
Weagle, Crystal L. | Saint-Louis, Richard | Dumas-Lefebvre, Élie | Chavanne, Cédric | Dumont, Dany | Chang, Rachel Y.-W.
Rhodamine water tracer (RWT) released during the 2021 Tracer Release Experiment in the St. Lawrence Estuary provides a proxy for the water-soluble fractions of contaminant spills. Measurements of total and size-resolved aerosols were taken onboard a research vessel throughout the experiment. Size-resolved aerosol measurements show airborne transmission of water-soluble RWT in a bimodal distribution peaking at 5.2 μm and 0.9 μm. Highest aerosol RWT (30.5 pg m⁻³) was observed in the 12-hour daytime period following the first dye release (Sept. 5), while the lowest (8.8 pg m⁻³) was observed in the subsequent nighttime sample. Available wind and RWT patch information were used to identify factors contributing to the factor-of-three variation in aerosol RWT concentrations. Negligible correlations were found between aerosol RWT and wind speed and sample time-of-day. Wind direction is isolated as the key variable for consideration in identifying the impact of contaminant spills on coastal and inland communities.
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