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Study of continental material transported through the atmosphere to the oeean

Lecture by member awarded the okada prize for 1987

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Abstract

I am deeply honored to have been selected as a recipient of the 1987 Okada Prize by the Oceanographical Society of Japan. The present paper reviews my work and recent studies of other investigators concerning mineral aerosol (dust) particles in the marine atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean. I would like to emphasize the importance of atmospheric deposition of continental substances to the ocean environment.

From consecutive measurements of atmospheric dust concentrations and total deposition fluxes at 13 island stations in the Pacific Ocean, a strong seasonal transfort pattern of dust particles was found at most of the stations. High atmospheric dust concentrations occurred during the spring in both hemispheres. There was a latitudinal gradient in both the atmospheric dust concentration and flux, with the highest values observed at midlatitudes.

When combined with observations of dust storms in Asia and isentropic trajectory analysis, it was clear that the dust over the central North Pacific was transported by the upper westerly winds from the arid desert regions in central and eastern Asia. Transport times were 1–2 weeks, and in some cases, atmospheric transport paths of over 10,000 km were observed.

Infrequent short-term dust events contributed most of annual atmospheric dust flux to the open ocean. These sporadic inputs are major sources for both suspended mineral matter in the water column and the non-biogenic component of deep-sea sediments in the Pacific Ocean. The impact of atmospheric dust fluxes on chemical and biological processes in the water column remains to be determined.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Atmospheric Chemistry Studies, Graduate School of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island, 02882, Narragansett, Rhode Island, USA

    Mitsuo Uematsu

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  1. Mitsuo Uematsu
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1987

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Uematsu, M. Study of continental material transported through the atmosphere to the oeean. Journal of the Oceanographical Society of Japan 43, 395–401 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02109292

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