Emiliania-huxleyi (Ehux), a cosmopolitan unicellular alga, forms massive oceanic blooms covering thousands of square kilometres. These blooms have a major influence on global cycles of carbon, nitrogen and sulfur. Sea spray aerosol (SSA), generated at the ocean’s surface, has a large impact on atmospheric chemistry, Earth’s radiative balance, and cloud properties. One of the main factors affecting SSA properties is the biological activity in the ocean and the composition of the planktonic ecosystem.
We are investigating the contribution of Ehux, and its specific interactions with viruses and pathogenic bacteria to SSA in the marine atmosphere as a function of its bloom dynamics. We use the Mesocosm experiment to follow a natural population under control conditions. We will characterize the physical, chemical and biological properties of the SSA emitted in the different bloom phases to investigate the impact of microbial interactions within Ehux blooms on SSA.
Mesocosm bags covered to measure the sea spray aerosol emitted during an induced Emiliania-huxleyi bloom in the Fjords of Norway