Articles | Volume 23, issue 9
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-23-3159-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-23-3159-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
08 May 2026
Research article |
| 08 May 2026
| 08 May 2026
Linking surface coverage with surfactant activity to refine the role of surfactants for air-sea gas exchange
Falko Asmussen-Schäfer
Institute of Physical Chemistry, Kiel University, Kiel, Germany
Mariana Ribas-Ribas
Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment (ICBM), Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
Oliver Wurl
Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment (ICBM), Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
Gernot Friedrichs
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Institute of Physical Chemistry, Kiel University, Kiel, Germany
KMS Kiel Marine Science-Centre for Interdisciplinary Marine Science, Kiel University, Kiel, Germany
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Short summary
We developed an approach to quantify how molecules accumulate at the ocean surface on a nanometer scale. By combining laser spectroscopy with an electrochemical technique, we determined how densely these molecular films cover the water surface. Such single-molecule-thick layers can strongly affect gas transfer between the ocean and the atmosphere. Comparing our measurements with existing datasets allowed us to generate an initial global estimate of surfactant surface coverage potential.
We developed an approach to quantify how molecules accumulate at the ocean surface on a...
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