Journal article
Ammonia emissions from an avian-rich island in the Great Barrier Reef: Environmental drivers and observational insights
Atmospheric environment, Vol.361, pp.1-9
15/11/2025
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Source: InCites
Abstract
Ammonia, a key alkaline gas in the atmosphere, plays a significant role in new particle formation and cloud condensation nuclei activity, particularly in marine environments. On islands rich in avian fauna, ammonia emissions often exceed those in urban areas and are influenced by environmental factors such as temperature and precipitation. This study investigated the NH3 emissions on Heron Island in the Great Barrier Reef using three different methods, namely offline active sampling, offline passive sampling, and online nitrate chemical ionization mass spectrometry (NO3-CIMS). The average NH3 mixing ratio of active sampling, passive sampling, and NO3-CIMS during the sampling period was 29 ± 23 ppb, 29 ± 22 ppb, and 39 ± 19 ppb. Results from the three methods revealed consistent NH3 mixing ratio trends. Changes in NH3 mixing ratio were highly correlated with precipitation events. During precipitation periods, the NH3 mixing ratio increased significantly within 30 min to a few hours after the rain started. Laboratory bird guano experiments further proved that NH3 emissions are more influenced by precipitation than temperature. Besides, the δ15N-NH3 values (−19.5 ‰ to −11.7 ‰) measured by passive samplers negatively correlated with NH3 levels, confirming seabird guano as the primary NH3 source. These findings highlighted the dynamic behavior of NH3 emissions and their sensitivity to environmental factors, shedding light on the potential importance of the Great Barrier Reef ecosystem for atmospheric processes relevant to aerosol formation.
Details
- Title
- Ammonia emissions from an avian-rich island in the Great Barrier Reef: Environmental drivers and observational insights
- Creators
- Lili Wu - Jinan UniversityEva Johanna Horchler - Queensland University of TechnologyZoran Ristovski - Queensland University of TechnologyJunwen Liu - Jinan UniversityFei Yu - Zhengzhou UniversityShijie Han - Jinan UniversityWenhui Zhao - The University of MelbourneLara Richards - Monash UniversityDaniel Harrison - Southern Cross UniversityJunyu Zheng - HKUSTBranka Miljevic - Queensland University of Technology
- Publication Details
- Atmospheric environment, Vol.361, pp.1-9
- Publisher
- Elsevier Ltd; OXFORD
- Grant note
- This work is supported by the Reef Restoration and Adaptation Program, which is funded by the partnership between the Australian Government’s Reef Trust and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation.
- Identifiers
- 991013314228802368
- Copyright
- © 2025.
- Academic Unit
- Faculty of Science and Engineering; National Marine Science Centre; Science
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article