Dry deposition of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) from the aerosol phase represents a potential source of nutrients to marine surface waters. To investigate the significance of this deposition pathway, aerosol samples were collected from Penlee Point Atmospheric Observatory in SW England, UK, over a 6-month period (February to July 2015) covering the spring bloom. Samples were analysed for nitrate, ammonium and phosphate and the dry deposition flux of these nutrients calculated to assess its potential impact on primary production in nearby surface seawater. Aerosol-derived N and P deposition fluxes ranged from 2.7 to 620 μmol N m⁻² d⁻¹ and 0.16–1.6 μmol P m⁻² d⁻¹, respectively. Air mass back trajectory analysis indicated that the highest N fluxes were associated with polluted European air masses, highlighting a significant anthropogenic influence on N-content of aerosols. The N:P ratios of aerosol fluxes and water column concentrations indicated that P deposition was unlikely to be biologically significant in the region. In contrast, aerosol deposition was a significant episodic source of new N to marine phytoplankton after the onset of water column stratification. Carbon fixation estimates indicated that the maximum proportion of new primary production sustained by aerosol-N deposition was 22.4%, a factor of ten higher than the study average. These data suggest that enhanced N-deposition from polluted continental air masses could sustain pulses of surface ocean biological productivity during periods of dissolved N depletion.

气溶胶相中氮 (N) 和磷 (P) 的干沉降代表了海洋表层水的潜在营养来源。为了研究这种沉积途径的重要性，我们从英国西南部彭利点大气天文台收集了涵盖春季盛开的 6 个月期间（2015 年 2 月至 7 月）的气溶胶样本。对样品中的硝酸盐、铵盐和磷酸盐进行了分析，并计算了这些营养物质的干沉降通量，以评估其对附近表层海水初级生产的潜在影响。气溶胶衍生的 N 和 P 沉积通量范围为 2.7 至 620 μmol N m ^-2 d ^-1和 0.16-1.6 μmol P m ^-2 d ^-1， 分别。气团反向轨迹分析表明，最高的 N 通量与受污染的欧洲气团有关，突出了人为对气溶胶 N 含量的显着影响。气溶胶通量和水柱浓度的 N:P 比率表明，该地区的 P 沉积不太可能具有生物学意义。相比之下，气溶胶沉积是水柱分层开始后海洋浮游植物新氮的重要间歇性来源。固碳估计表明，气溶胶-N 沉积维持的新初级生产的最大比例为 22.4%，比研究平均值高 10 倍。