Study of inorganic ammonium compounds in individual marine aerosol particles by laser microprobe mass spectrometry

Ammonia is important in the atmosphere because it neutralizes acidic species. The relative importance of different inorganic ammonium compounds (chloride, nitrate and sulfate) in marine air chemistry was studied by single-particle characterization with the laser microprobe mass analyser. Standard aerosols were generated as a reference for compound identification, based on the fingerprint spectra obtained, and calculation of the relative sensitivity achieved for different ions in a marine aerosol matrix. The relative sensitivity for ammonium was low. Aerosol samples were collected in the Southern Bight of the North Sea under different meteorological conditions and examined for their ammonium compounds. Samples collected during an inversion period with continental influences showed a much higher content in all particles than samples collected under different meteorological conditions, where ammonium was mostly detected in the submicrometer particle-size range.