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Improved method for quantifying the air-sea flux of volatile and semi-volatile organic carbon

Hauser, EJ
Dickhut, RM
Falconer, R
Wozniak, AS
Abstract
A method for quantifying the diffusive air-sea exchange of gaseous organic carbon (OC) was developed. OC compounds were separated into two operational pools-those that were kinetically air limited in diffusion across the air-sea interface and those that were water limited-during simultaneous air/water sampling. The method separates OC compounds into low Henry's law constant (low-H) semivolatile OC (SOC) and high Henry's law constant (high-H) volatile OC (VOC) pools that can be categorized by relating diffusion kinetic parameters to Henry's Law constant. Air limited (low-H; H << similar to 0.1 L atm mol(-1)) compounds were collected in pure water traps and were quantified as dissolved OC, whereas water limited (high-H; H >> similar to 0.1 L atm mol-1) compounds were collected on solid sorbent tubes downstream from the water traps and were analyzed by gas chromatography-flame ionization detection (GC-FID). Separating OC based on H, rather than measuring OC as one bulk pool, allows improved estimates of OC concentration gradients and fluxes. A 10-month field study in the York River Estuary in Gloucester Point, VA revealed an average VOC flux of 138 mu g C m(-2) d(-1) and an average SOC flux of 832 mg C m(-2) d(-1) (positive fluxes denote sea to air transfer).
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2013-01-01
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Physical Sciences Peer-Reviewed Articles, Net Ecosystem Metabolism; Global Oceans; Wet Deposition; Chesapeake Bay; Gas-Exchange; Water; Pollutants; Atlantic; Hydrocarbons; Respiration
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Virginia Institute of Marine Science
DOI
https://doi.org/10.4319/lom.2013.11.287
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