Abstract. A new bubble-generating glass chamber with an extensive set of aerosol production experiments is presented. Compared to the experiments described in the literature since the ground-setting works of Edward C. Monahan et al. in 1980s, the current setup is among the medium-sized
installations allowing for accurate control of the air discharge, water
temperature, and salinity. The size and material of the chamber offer a
variety of applications due to its portability, measurement setup
adjustability, and sterilization option. The experiments have been conducted
in a cylindrical bubbling tank of 10 L volume that was filled by
∼ 30 %–40 % with water of controlled salt content and temperature and covered with a hermetic lid. The chamber was used to study the characteristics of aerosols produced by bursting bubbles under different conditions. In line with previous findings, the sea spray aerosol production was shown to depend
linearly on the surface area covered by the bubbles, which in turn is a
near-linear function of the air discharge through the water. Observed
dependencies of the aerosol size spectra and particle fluxes on water
salinity and temperature, being qualitatively comparable with the previous
experiments, substantially refined the existing parameterizations. In
particular, the bubble size was practically independent from the air
discharge through the water body, except in the case of very small flows. Also, the
dependence of aerosol spectrum and amount on salinity was much weaker than
suggested in some previous experiments. The temperature dependence, to the
contrary, was significant and consistent, with a transition in the spectrum
shape at ∼ 10 ∘C. Theoretical analysis based on the
basic conservation laws supported the main results of the experiments but
also highlighted the need for a better understanding of the aerosol production
from a cold water surface.