This study assesses the role of the atmospheric dry fallout as a source of new nitrogen and phosphorus to the surface Levantine seawater. Leaching experiments of inorganic nitrogen () and phosphorus (LIPO4), using SE Mediterranean surface seawater, were performed on 41 aerosol (hereafter dust) samples collected on Whatman 41 filters between April 1996 and January 1999 at Tel Shikmona, Israel and on four desert-event dust powder samples. A geometric mean of 2.8 and 3.2 mmol NO3 - and NH4 + per gram of dust was leached by seawater from normal (background) dry deposition captured by the filters. Significantly lower amounts of IN with lower NH4 +:NO3 - ratios were leached from both the filters and the dust powder sampled during dust events [...]