Prof.  Sanja Frka  Milosavljević
Ruđer Bošković Institute,  Croatia

Title: Size distribution of airborne particles: sources, chemical characteristics and impacts on human health and aquatic ecosystem functioning

Abstract:

Atmospheric aerosol particles exhibit complex chemical composition and vary substantially in shape and size, typically ranging between 0.01 and 10 μm. Aerosols have the ability to directly affect global radiative forcing by scattering and/or absorbing solar radiation. Furthermore, depending on their structural and compositional characteristics, aerosols can be activated as cloud condensation nuclei that can alter cloud albedo, which is referred to as the aerosol indirect effect. Current air quality health concerns are focused on the inhalation of ultra-fine particles (particles with an aerodynamic diameter less than 0.1 μm) as well as fine particles (particles with an aerodynamic diameter less than 2.5 μm). Many studies have shown a correlation between fine particulate matter and various health conditions, particularly respiratory and cardiovascular disease. Knowledge of the size distribution of atmospheric particles and their constituents is important since this not only influences their toxicity when inhaled, but also controls the extent to which particles may be dispersed via atmospheric transportation. Indeed, the atmosphere is a significant pathway through which both natural and anthropogenic material is transported from continents to both coastal and open seas. Once deposited by atmospheric deposition, atmospheric particles provide an external source of nutrients and pollutants to aqueous ecosystems. This in turn influences the organic matter production by phytoplankton, changes CO₂ uptake, and affects the climate. The main findings of our recently completed and ongoing research projects that are related to the aforementioned will be presented and discussed, focusing on lessons learned and best practices.

 

Keywords: aerosols, source apportionment, size distribution, organic matter, atmospheric deposition, sea surface microlayer

Biography:

Sanja Frka Milosavljević, PhD, is a Senior Research Associate at the Division for marine and environmental research, Ruđer Bošković Institute, Zagreb, Croatia. She received her PhD in Oceanology from the Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, Croatia, in 2008 and conducted postdoctoral research at the National Institute of Chemistry, Ljubljana, Slovenia under the Marie Curie FP7-PEOPLE-2011-COFUND project (2014-2017). She is currently leading four competitive projects aimed at assessing the impacts of atmospheric deposition on complex biochemical responses of oligotrophic systems, considering the importance of promoting and inhibiting effects on phytoplankton and the consequent altering in surface water chemistry, including the sea surface microlayer at the atmosphere-sea interface. Her research interests include sources, interactions and (trans)formation processes of atmospheric organic aerosols, characterisation of organic matter in different natural aquatic systems, atmospheric deposition, and exchange processes between atmosphere and ocean. She is a member of several national and international scientific organisations and is involved in teaching and supervising of graduate students, PhD and postdoctoral students. She published 44 papers in international peer-reviewed journals, 2 book chapters, 84 other publications, and abstracts in proceedings of international and national meetings.