Biogeochemical significance of Asian aerosol deposition in the southern East Sea

Abstract

In 2000s, Asian dust is frequently occurred from sandy lands and steppe areas (especially in grasslands) in the northeastern China, due to weakening of the summer Asian monsoon and human activity. This geographical expansion is attributable to the increased dust trends in Korea and Japan. Here we perform long-term Asian aerosol observation and its contribution to ocean biogeochemistry in the East Sea (35°-39°N and 129°-134°E), a marginal sea between Korea and Japan. We find there is seasonality in the atmospheric concentration and chemical composition, relating to relative intensity of crustal and anthropogenic-originated aerosols. In addition, contribution of atmospheric N deposition is ∼10% of new production on an annual scale. to the increased dust trends in Korea and Japan. Here we perform long-term Asian aerosol observation and its contribution to ocean biogeochemistry in the East Sea (35°-39°N and 129°-134°E), a marginal sea between Korea and Japan. We find there is seasonality in the atmospheric concentration and chemical composition, relating to relative intensity of crustal and anthropogenic-originated aerosols. In addition, contribution of atmospheric N deposition is ∼10% of new production on an annual scale.