scholarly journals CCN measurements at the Princess Elisabeth Antarctica research station during three austral summers

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 275-294 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Herenz ◽  
Heike Wex ◽  
Alexander Mangold ◽  
Quentin Laffineur ◽  
Irina V. Gorodetskaya ◽  
...  

Abstract. For three austral summer seasons (2013–2016, each from December to February) aerosol particles arriving at the Belgian Antarctic research station Princess Elisabeth (PE) in Dronning Maud Land in East Antarctica were characterized. This included number concentrations of total aerosol particles (NCN) and cloud condensation nuclei (NCCN), the particle number size distribution (PNSD), the aerosol particle hygroscopicity, and the influence of the air mass origin on NCN and NCCN. In general NCN was found to range from 40 to 6700 cm−3, with a median of 333 cm−3, while NCCN was found to cover a range between less than 10 and 1300 cm−3 for supersaturations (SSs) between 0.1 % and 0.7 %. It is shown that the aerosol is dominated by the Aitken mode, being characterized by a significant amount of small, and therefore likely secondarily formed, aerosol particles, with 94 % and 36 % of the aerosol particles smaller than 90 and ≈35 nm, respectively. Measurements of the basic meteorological parameters as well as the history of the air masses arriving at the measurement station indicate that the station is influenced by both marine air masses originating from the Southern Ocean and coastal areas around Antarctica (marine events – MEs) and continental air masses (continental events – CEs). CEs, which were defined as instances when the air masses spent at least 90 % of the time over the Antarctic continent during the last 10 days prior to arrival at the measurements station, occurred during 61 % of the time during which measurements were done. CEs came along with rather constant NCN and NCCN values, which we denote as Antarctic continental background concentrations. MEs, however, cause large fluctuations in NCN and NCCN, with low concentrations likely caused by scavenging due to precipitation and high concentrations likely originating from new particle formation (NPF) based on marine precursors. The application of HYSPLIT back trajectories in form of the potential source contribution function (PSCF) analysis indicate that the region of the Southern Ocean is a potential source of Aitken mode particles. On the basis of PNSDs, together with NCCN measured at an SS of 0.1 %, median values for the critical diameter for cloud droplet activation and the aerosol particle hygroscopicity parameter κ were determined to be 110 nm and 1, respectively. For particles larger than ≈110 nm the Southern Ocean together with parts of the Antarctic ice shelf regions were found to be potential source regions. While the former may contribute sea spray particles directly, the contribution of the latter may be due to the emission of sea salt aerosol particles, released from snow particles from surface snow layers, e.g., during periods of high wind speed, leading to drifting or blowing snow. The region of the Antarctic inland plateau, however, was not found to feature a significant source region for aerosol particles in general or for cloud condensation nuclei measured at the PE station in the austral summer.

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Herenz ◽  
Heike Wex ◽  
Alexander Mangold ◽  
Quentin Laffineur ◽  
Irina V. Gorodestkaya ◽  
...  

Abstract. For three austral summer seasons (2013–2016, each from December to February) aerosol particles arriving at the Belgian Antarctic research station Princess Elisabeth (PE), in Dronning Maud Land in East Antarctica were characterized in terms of number concentrations of total aerosol particles (NCN) and cloud condensation nuclei (NCCN), the particle number size distribution (PNSD), the aerosol particle hygroscopicity and the influence of the air mass origin on NCN and NCCN. In general NCN was found to range from 40 to 6700 cm−3 with a median of 333 cm−3, while NCCN was found to cover a range between less than 10 and 1300 cm−3 for supersaturations (SS) between 0.1 and 0.7 %. It is shown that the aerosol is Aitken mode dominated and is characterized by a significant amount of freshly, secondarily formed aerosol particles, with 94 % and 36 % of the aerosol particles are smaller than 90 nm and ≈ 35 nm, respectively. Measurements of the basic meteorological parameters as well as the history of the air masses arriving at the measurement station indicate that the station is influenced by both, continental air masses originating from the Antarctic inland ice sheet (continental events – CE) and marine air masses originating from the Southern Ocean (marine events – ME). CEs came along with rather constant NCN and NCCN values, which we denote to be Antarctic continental background concentrations. MEs however cause large fluctuations in NCN and NCCN caused by scavenging due to precipitation or new particle formation based on marine precursors. The application of Hysplit back trajectories in form of the potential source contribution function (PSCF) analysis indicate, that the region of the Southern Ocean is a potential source of Aitken mode particles. For particles larger than ≈ 110 nm (CCN measured at SS of 0.1 %) the Antarctic ice shelf regions were found to be a potential source region, most likely due to the emission of sea salt aerosol particles, released from snow particles from surface snow layers by sublimation, e.g., during periods of high wind speed, leading to drifting or blowing snow. On the basis of the PNSDs and NCCN, the critical diameter for cloud droplet activation and the aerosol particle hygroscopicity parameter κ were determined to be 110 nm and 1, respectively, for a SS of 0.1 %. The region of the Antarctic inland plateau however was not found to feature a significant source region for CN and CCN measured at the PE station in austral summer.


2012 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 32741-32794 ◽  
Author(s):  
E.-M. Kyrö ◽  
V.-M. Kerminen ◽  
A. Virkkula ◽  
M. Dal Maso ◽  
J. Parshintsev ◽  
...  

Abstract. Over Antarctica, aerosol particles originate almost entirely from marine areas, with minor contribution from long-range transported dust or anthropogenic material. The Antarctic continent itself, unlike all other continental areas, has been thought to be practically free of aerosol sources. Here we present evidence of local aerosol production associated with melt-water ponds in the continental Antarctica. We show that in air masses passing such ponds, new aerosol particles are efficiently formed and these particles grow up to sizes where they may act as cloud condensation nuclei (CCN). The precursor vapours responsible for aerosol formation and growth originate very likely from highly abundant cyanobacteria Nostoc commune (Vaucher) communities of local ponds. This is the first time when freshwater vegetation has been identified as an aerosol precursor source. The influence of the new source on clouds and climate may increase in future Antarctica, and possibly elsewhere undergoing accelerating summer melting of semi-permanent snow cover.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Tatzelt ◽  
Silvia Henning ◽  
André Welti ◽  
Andrea Baccarini ◽  
Markus Hartmann ◽  
...  

Abstract. Aerosol particles acting as cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) or ice nucleating particles (INP) play a major role in the formation and glaciation of clouds. Thereby they exert a strong impact on the radiation budget of the Earth. Data on abundance and properties of both types of particles are sparse, especially for remote areas of the world, such as the Southern Ocean (SO). In this work, we present unique results from ship-borne aerosol-particle-related in situ measurements and filter sampling in the SO region, carried out during the Antarctic Circumnavigation Expedition (ACE) in the Austral summer of 2016/17. An overview of CCN and INP concentrations on the Southern Ocean is provided and using additional quantities, insights regarding possible CCN and INP sources and origins are presented. CCN number concentrations spanned 2 orders of magnitude, e.g., for a supersaturation of 0.3 % values ranged roughly from 3 to 590 cm⁻³. CCN showed variable contributions of organic and inorganic material (inter-quartile range of hygroscopicity parameter κ from 0.2 to 0.9). No distinct size-dependence of κ was apparent, indicating homogeneous composition across sizes (critical dry diameter on average between 37 and 123 nm). The contribution of sea spray aerosol (SSA) to the CCN number concentration was on average small. Ambient INP number concentrations were measured in the temperature range from −5 to −27°C. Concentrations spanned up to 3 orders of magnitude, e.g., at −16°C from 0.2 to 100 m⁻³. Elevated values (above 10 m⁻³ at −16°C) were measured when the research vessel was in the vicinity of land, with lower and more constant concentrations when at sea. This hints towards terrestrial and/or coastal INP sources being dominant close to land. In pristine marine areas INP may originate from both oceanic sources and/or long range transport. Sampled aerosol particles (PM10) were analysed for sodium and methanesulfonic acid (MSA). Resulting mass concentrations were used as tracers for primary marine and secondary aerosol particles, respectively. Sodium, with an average concentration around 2.8 μg m⁻³, was found to dominate the sampled particle mass. MSA was highly variable over the SO, with concentrations up to 0.5 μg m⁻³ near the sea ice edge. A correlation analysis yielded strong correlations between sodium mass concentration and particle number concentration in the coarse mode, unsurprisingly indicating a significant contribution of SSA to that mode. CCN number concentration was highly correlated with the number concentration of Aitken and accumulation mode particles. This, together with a lack of correlation between sodium mass and Aitken and accumulation mode number concentrations, underlines the important contribution of non-SSA, probably secondarily formed particles, to the CCN population. INP number concentrations did not significantly correlate with any other measured aerosol physico-chemical parameter.


2013 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 3527-3546 ◽  
Author(s):  
E.-M. Kyrö ◽  
V.-M. Kerminen ◽  
A. Virkkula ◽  
M. Dal Maso ◽  
J. Parshintsev ◽  
...  

Abstract. Over Antarctica, aerosol particles originate almost entirely from marine areas, with minor contribution from long-range transported dust or anthropogenic material. The Antarctic continent itself, unlike all other continental areas, has been thought to be practically free of aerosol sources. Here we present evidence of local aerosol production associated with melt-water ponds in continental Antarctica. We show that in air masses passing such ponds, new aerosol particles are efficiently formed and these particles grow up to sizes where they may act as cloud condensation nuclei (CCN). The precursor vapours responsible for aerosol formation and growth originate very likely from highly abundant cyanobacteria Nostoc commune (Vaucher) communities of local ponds. This is the first time freshwater vegetation has been identified as an aerosol precursor source. The influence of the new source on clouds and climate may increase in future Antarctica, and possibly elsewhere undergoing accelerating summer melting of semi-permanent snow cover.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joel Alroe ◽  
Luke T. Cravigan ◽  
Branka Miljevic ◽  
Graham R. Johnson ◽  
Paul Selleck ◽  
...  

Abstract. Cloud-radiation interactions over the Southern Ocean are not well constrained in climate models, in part due to uncertainties in the sources, concentrations and cloud-forming potential of aerosol in this region. To date, most studies in this region have reported measurements from fixed terrestrial stations or a limited set of instrumentation, and often present findings as broad seasonal or latitudinal trends. Here, we present an extensive set of aerosol and meteorological observations obtained during an austral summer cruise across the full width of the Southern Ocean south of Australia. Three episodes of continental-influenced air masses were identified, including an apparent transition between the Ferrel atmospheric cell and the polar cell at approximately 64° S. During the other two episodes, synoptic-scale weather patterns diverted air masses across distances greater than 1000 km from the Australian and Antarctic coastlines, respectively, indicating that a large proportion of the Southern Ocean may be periodically influenced by continental air masses. In all three cases, a highly cloud-active accumulation mode dominated the size distribution, with up to 93 % of the total number concentration activating as cloud condensation nuclei. In contrast, sampling periods influenced by marine air masses frequently demonstrated a correlation between air mass trajectories over regions of high biological productivity and subsequent enhancement of an Aitken mode centred at approximately 30 nm and contributing an average of 71 % of the total aerosol number concentration. Although these small diameters limited their contribution to cloud condensation nuclei concentrations, Aitken number concentrations and diameters were highly variable. A detailed investigation of the marine air masses revealed that this variability may be attributed to the availability of biogenic precursors, the competing influence of condensation sinks (such as sea spray aerosol) and vertical transport between the marine boundary layer and the free troposphere. This variability of the marine Aitken mode as well as the instances of long-range transport were governed by synoptic-scale weather systems, through their influence on air mass trajectories and both generation and depletion of condensation sinks. These results demonstrate the highly dynamic nature of Southern Ocean aerosol and their complex dependence on both biological productivity and synoptic-scale weather systems.


2003 ◽  
Vol 69 (8) ◽  
pp. 4884-4891 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin A. Hughes

ABSTRACT Factors affecting fecal microorganism survival and distribution in the Antarctic marine environment include solar radiation, water salinity, temperature, sea ice conditions, and fecal input by humans and local wildlife populations. This study assessed the influence of these factors on the distribution of presumptive fecal coliforms around Rothera Point, Adelaide Island, Antarctic Peninsula during the austral summer and winter of February 1999 to September 1999. Each factor had a different degree of influence depending on the time of year. In summer (February), although the station population was high, presumptive fecal coliform concentrations were low, probably due to the biologically damaging effects of solar radiation. However, summer algal blooms reduced penetration of solar radiation into the water column. By early winter (April), fecal coliform concentrations were high, due to increased fecal input by migrant wildlife, while solar radiation doses were low. By late winter (September), fecal coliform concentrations were high near the station sewage outfall, as sea ice formation limited solar radiation penetration into the sea and prevented wind-driven water circulation near the outfall. During this study, environmental factors masked the effect of station population numbers on sewage plume size. If sewage production increases throughout the Antarctic, environmental factors may become less significant and effective sewage waste management will become increasingly important. These findings highlight the need for year-round monitoring of fecal coliform distribution in Antarctic waters near research stations to produce realistic evaluations of sewage pollution persistence and dispersal.


2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (11) ◽  
pp. 7595-7608 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eunho Jang ◽  
Ki-Tae Park ◽  
Young Jun Yoon ◽  
Tae-Wook Kim ◽  
Sang-Bum Hong ◽  
...  

Abstract. Marine biota is an important source of atmospheric aerosol particles in the remote marine atmosphere. However, the relationship between new particle formation and marine biota is poorly quantified. Long-term observations (from 2009 to 2016) of the physical properties of atmospheric aerosol particles measured at the Antarctic Peninsula (King Sejong Station; 62.2∘ S, 58.8∘ W) and satellite-derived estimates of the biological characteristics were analyzed to identify the link between new particle formation and marine biota. New particle formation events in the Antarctic atmosphere showed distinct seasonal variations, with the highest values occurring when the air mass originated from the ocean domain during the productive austral summer (December, January and February). Interestingly, new particle formation events were more frequent in the air masses that originated from the Bellingshausen Sea than in those that originated from the Weddell Sea. The monthly mean number concentration of nanoparticles (2.5–10 nm in diameter) was >2-fold higher when the air masses passed over the Bellingshausen Sea than the Weddell Sea, whereas the biomass of phytoplankton in the Weddell Sea was more than ∼70 % higher than that of the Bellingshausen Sea during the austral summer period. Dimethyl sulfide (DMS) is of marine origin and its oxidative products are known to be one of the major components in the formation of new particles. Both satellite-derived estimates of the biological characteristics (dimethylsulfoniopropionate, DMSP; precursor of DMS) and phytoplankton taxonomic composition and in situ methanesulfonic acid (84 daily measurements during the summer period in 2013 and 2014) analysis revealed that DMS(P)-rich phytoplankton were more dominant in the Bellingshausen Sea than in the Weddell Sea. Furthermore, the number concentration of nanoparticles was positively correlated with the biomass of phytoplankton during the period when DMS(P)-rich phytoplankton predominate. These results indicate that oceanic DMS emissions could play a key role in the formation of new particles; moreover, the taxonomic composition of phytoplankton could affect the formation of new particles in the Antarctic Ocean.


2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 2185-2206 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. S. Humphries ◽  
A. R. Klekociuk ◽  
R. Schofield ◽  
M. Keywood ◽  
J. Ward ◽  
...  

Abstract. Better characterisation of aerosol processes in pristine, natural environments, such as Antarctica, have recently been shown to lead to the largest reduction in uncertainties in our understanding of radiative forcing. Our understanding of aerosols in the Antarctic region is currently based on measurements that are often limited to boundary layer air masses at spatially sparse coastal and continental research stations, with only a handful of studies in the vast sea-ice region. In this paper, the first observational study of sub-micron aerosols in the East Antarctic sea ice region is presented. Measurements were conducted aboard the icebreaker Aurora Australis in spring 2012 and found that boundary layer condensation nuclei (CN3) concentrations exhibited a five-fold increase moving across the polar front, with mean polar cell concentrations of 1130 cm−3 – higher than any observed elsewhere in the Antarctic and Southern Ocean region. The absence of evidence for aerosol growth suggested that nucleation was unlikely to be local. Air parcel trajectories indicated significant influence from the free troposphere above the Antarctic continent, implicating this as the likely nucleation region for surface aerosol, a similar conclusion to previous Antarctic aerosol studies. The highest aerosol concentrations were found to correlate with low-pressure systems, suggesting that the passage of cyclones provided an accelerated pathway, delivering air masses quickly from the free troposphere to the surface. After descent from the Antarctic free troposphere, trajectories suggest that sea-ice boundary layer air masses travelled equatorward into the low-albedo Southern Ocean region, transporting with them emissions and these aerosol nuclei which, after growth, may potentially impact on the region's radiative balance. The high aerosol concentrations and their transport pathways described here, could help reduce the discrepancy currently present between simulations and observations of cloud and aerosol over the Southern Ocean.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 1189-1209
Author(s):  
Marzieh H. Derkani ◽  
Alberto Alberello ◽  
Filippo Nelli ◽  
Luke G. Bennetts ◽  
Katrin G. Hessner ◽  
...  

Abstract. The Southern Ocean has a profound impact on the Earth's climate system. Its strong winds, intense currents, and fierce waves are critical components of the air–sea interface and contribute to absorbing, storing, and releasing heat, moisture, gases, and momentum. Owing to its remoteness and harsh environment, this region is significantly undersampled, hampering the validation of prediction models and large-scale observations from satellite sensors. Here, an unprecedented data set of simultaneous observations of winds, surface currents, and ocean waves is presented, to address the scarcity of in situ observations in the region – https://doi.org/10.26179/5ed0a30aaf764 (Alberello et al., 2020c) and https://doi.org/10.26179/5e9d038c396f2 (Derkani et al., 2020). Records were acquired underway during the Antarctic Circumnavigation Expedition (ACE), which went around the Southern Ocean from December 2016 to March 2017 (Austral summer). Observations were obtained with the wave and surface current monitoring system WaMoS-II, which scanned the ocean surface around the vessel using marine radars. Measurements were assessed for quality control and compared against available satellite observations. The data set is the most extensive and comprehensive collection of observations of surface processes for the Southern Ocean and is intended to underpin improvements of wave prediction models around Antarctica and research of air–sea interaction processes, including gas exchange and dynamics of sea spray aerosol particles. The data set has further potentials to support theoretical and numerical research on lower atmosphere, air–sea interface, and upper-ocean processes.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (12) ◽  
pp. 9497-9513
Author(s):  
Jack B. Simmons ◽  
Ruhi S. Humphries ◽  
Stephen R. Wilson ◽  
Scott D. Chambers ◽  
Alastair G. Williams ◽  
...  

Abstract. Aerosol measurements over the Southern Ocean have been identified as critical to an improved understanding of aerosol–radiation and aerosol–cloud interactions, as there currently exists significant discrepancies between model results and measurements in this region. The atmosphere above the Southern Ocean provides crucial insight into an aerosol regime relatively free from anthropogenic influence, yet its remoteness ensures atmospheric measurements are relatively rare. Here we present observations from the Polar Cell Aerosol Nucleation (PCAN) campaign, hosted aboard the RV Investigator during a summer (January–March) 2017 voyage from Hobart, Australia, to the East Antarctic seasonal sea ice zone. A median particle number concentration (condensation nuclei > 3 nm; CN3) of 354 (95 % CI 345–363) cm−3 was observed from the voyage. Median cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) concentrations were 167 (95 % CI 158–176) cm−3. Measured particle size distributions suggested that aerosol populations had undergone significant cloud processing. To understand the variability in aerosol observations, measurements were classified by meteorological variables. Wind direction and absolute humidity were used to identify different air masses, and aerosol measurements were compared based on these identifications. CN3 concentrations measured during SE wind directions (median 594 cm−3) were higher than those measured during wind directions from the NW (median 265 cm−3). Increased frequency of measurements from these wind directions suggests the influence of large-scale atmospheric transport mechanisms on the local aerosol population in the boundary layer of the East Antarctic seasonal ice zone. Modelled back trajectories imply different air mass histories for each measurement group, supporting this suggestion. CN3 and CCN concentrations were higher during periods where the absolute humidity was less than 4.3 gH2O/m3, indicative of free tropospheric or Antarctic continental air masses, compared to other periods of the voyage. Increased aerosol concentration in air masses originating close to the Antarctic coastline have been observed in numerous other studies. However, the smaller changes observed in the present analyses suggest seasonal differences in atmospheric circulation, including lesser impact of synoptic low-pressure systems in summer. Further measurements in the region are required before a more comprehensive picture of atmospheric circulation in this region can be captured and its influence on local aerosol populations understood.


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