High production of soluble iron promoted by aerosol acidification in fog

The current poor understanding of soluble iron (Fe) yield in atmospheric aerosols leaves two observational facts having not yet been correctly simulated in numerical models: the high Fe solubility in aerosols with low Fe content and, hence, the wide range of observed Fe solubility. Our observation at Qingdao, a coastal city of China, revealed that soluble Fe was produced along with aerosol acidification much more efficiently in fog than under other weather conditions. The median Fe solubility in fog aerosols, 5.81%, was 3.3 times of that in haze aerosols, 5.2 times of that in clear days, and 21.5 times of that in dust aerosols. Involving fog processing in models may reduce the discrepancy in the atmospheric flux of soluble Fe to the ocean between numerical simulations and field observations.