A study of the aerosol in different marine environments was performed during a scientific cruise on the vessel Salermum from the Mediterranean Sea to the Indian Ocean (January 1 to February 27, 1979). The aerosol particles were sampled on membrane filters and in a single-stage impactor. The particles on the filters were analyzed for soluble Mg, Ca, K, Na; for mineral aerosol mass concentration; and for chloride particles. An elemental analysis, using the microprobe attached to the scanning electron microscope (SEM), was carried out. The aerosol particle size distribution was determined from the photographs of the filter surface taken by the SEM. The concentration of the ice-forming nuclei was measured by developing the filters in a static diffusion chamber. Chloride particles were also independently detected on the single-stage impactor slides.

The data, also discussed in association with the atmospheric turbidity measurements taken during the same cruise, give a clear picture of the aerosol characteristics, which reflect in a detailed and sensitive way the origin of the air mass in which they were sampled.