spatial patterns in sea spray production and composition. Because sea spray is generated when air is mixed into the ocean, formation gradients are established by turbulence of the surface water. Wave action along coastal shorelines is generally where turbulence is greatest, so this is where sea spray production is the highest. Particles generated in turbulent coastal areas can travel horizontally up to 25 km within the planetary boundary layer. As distance from shore decreases, sea spray production declines to a level sustained almost exclusively by whitecaps. The proportion of the ocean surface area that is turbulent enough to produce significant sea spray is called the whitecap fraction. The only other production mechanism of sea spray in the open ocean is through direct wind action, where strong winds actually break the surface tension of the water and lift particles into the air. However, particles of seawater generated in this way are often too heavy to remain suspended in the atmosphere and usually are deposited back to the sea within a few dozen meters of transport. Temporal variation During winter months, the ocean typically experiences stormy, windy conditions that generate more air inundation into the sea and therefore more sea spray. Calmer summer months result in lower overall production of sea spray. During peak primary productivity in the summer, increased organic matter in the surface ocean drives subsequent increases in sea spray. Given that sea spray retains the properties of the water from which it was produced, the composition of sea spray experiences extreme seasonal variation. During the summer, dissolved organic carbon (DOC) can constitute 60-90% of sea spray mass. Even though much more sea spray is produced during the stormy winter season, the composition is nearly all salt because of the low primary production. Organic matter The organic matter in sea spray consists of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and even microbes themselves, like bacteria and viruses. The amount of organic matter in sea spray depends on microbiological processes, though the total effect of these processes is still unknown. Chlorophyll-a is often used as a proxy for primary production and organic matter content in sea spray, but its reliability for estimating dissolved organic carbon concentrations is controversial. Biomass often enters sea spray through the death and lysis of algal cells, often caused by viral infections. Cells are broken apart into the dissolved organic carbon that is propelled into the atmosphere when surface