Transition Metals in the Atmosphere

Particle-bound metals were associated with severe acute effects on the cardiovascular system due to their redox cycling activity. Beyond that, they modulate an important but poorly constrained feedback mechanisms in the climate system by transporting micronutrients into the oceans. However, the tiny amounts of metals are difficult to detect and the contribution of anthropogenic and natural sources is not well understood.

We tune the wavelength of our ionization laser in single-particle mass spectrometry to UV ground state transitions of metal atoms and subsequent single photon ionization. With this technology, we substantially improved the detection capacity for metals, their sources and fluxes in the atmosphere. The research is funded by the Helmholtz International Lab aeroHEALTH, the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (grants ZF4402101ZG7 and 16KN083626) and the German Research Foundation Grant ZI 764/6-1.

Co-wokers: Dr. Julian Schade, Ellen Iva Rosewig, Marco Schmidt