A research team of Atsushi Matsuki and PhD candidate (Kohei Ono), in collaboration with NanoLSI (WPI Kanazawa University), The University of Tokyo, Hiroshima University, and Meteorological Research Institute, successfully applied atomic force microscopy to sea spray aerosols and revealed that organic-rich particles exhibit substantially larger adhesion forces than predominantly inorganic particles.

In this study, adhesion forces of various sea spray aerosols with different degrees of organic mixing were studied in detail on an individual particle basis. In addition, sea foam collected at the tip of Noto Peninsula was used to reproduce particles naturally enriched in marine organic compounds. The results highlighted the significant enhancement of particle adhesivity with increasing amount of organics. Also, presence of such super-sticky particles were confirmed in the actual atmosphere. Such achievement sheds light on the previously overlooked behavior of marine aerosols during and after deposition on surfaces.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2022.119468