Journal article
Drone-Based Measurements of Marine Aerosol Size Distributions and Source-Receptor Relationships over a Great Barrier Reef Lagoon
Remote sensing, Vol.18(2), pp.1-25
13/01/2026
Metrics
1 Record Views
Abstract
Marine aerosol particles influence the climate, and interactions between ocean waves and coral reefs may impact aerosol size distributions in remote locations, such as the Great Barrier Reef. However, quantifying these processes has proven to be challenging. We tested whether marine aerosol size distributions and concentrations differ across four zones: background air outside the lagoon, above the reef crest, within the lagoon, and near the beach of Heron Island, approximately 85 km offshore. Using a modified DJI Matrice 600 hexacopter equipped with a miniaturised optical particle counter and custom inline gas dryer, we measured aerosols from 165 to 3000 nm across 64 drone flights during 16 sampling events in November 2024. Aerosol concentrations showed substantial day-to-day temporal variability, while spatial differences among reef zones were generally minor; on certain days, the maximum difference between background and near-island measurements reached approximately 25%. K-means clustering identified four dominant air mass transport patterns, and Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory model analysis indicated that upwind conditions had a strong influence on aerosol loading. Vertical profiles revealed limited variability within the lowest 100 m. Mixing layer height, air parcel travel speed, and water depth along the final 12 h of trajectories were key drivers of aerosol variability. These results demonstrate the potential of drone-based measurements for characterising marine aerosols and provide a foundation for improving climate model representations of natural aerosol processes.
Details
- Title
- Drone-Based Measurements of Marine Aerosol Size Distributions and Source-Receptor Relationships over a Great Barrier Reef Lagoon
- Creators
- Christian Eckert - Southern Cross UniversityKim I. Monteforte - Southern Cross UniversityChris Medcraft - Southern Cross UniversityAdrian Doss - Southern Cross UniversityDaniel P. Harrison - Southern Cross UniversityBrendan P. Kelaher - Southern Cross University
- Publication Details
- Remote sensing, Vol.18(2), pp.1-25
- Publisher
- MDPI
- Number of pages
- 25
- Grant note
- This work was undertaken for the Reef Restoration and Adaptation Program (Cooling and Shading sub-program), funded by the partnership between the Australian Government’s Reef Trust and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation.
- Identifiers
- 991013372626202368
- Copyright
- © 2026 by the authors.
- Academic Unit
- Faculty of Science and Engineering; National Marine Science Centre; Science
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article