scholarly journals Characterization of Transport Regimes and the Polar Dome during Arctic Spring and Summer using in-situ Aircraft Measurements

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heiko Bozem ◽  
Peter Hoor ◽  
Daniel Kunkel ◽  
Franziska Köllner ◽  
Johannes Schneider ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lower Troposphere ◽  
High Arctic ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Trace Gas ◽  
Second Phase ◽  
Aerosol Formation ◽  
Transport Barrier ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Air Masses ◽  
Mixing Ratios

Abstract. The springtime composition of the Arctic lower troposphere is to a large extent controlled by transport of mid-latitude air masses into the Arctic, whereas during the summer precipitation and natural sources play the most important role. Within the Arctic region, there exists a transport barrier, known as the polar dome, which results from sloping isentropes. The polar dome, which varies in space and time, exhibits a strong influence on the transport of air masses from mid-latitudes, enhancing it during winter and inhibiting it during summer. Furthermore, a definition for the location of the polar dome boundary itself is quite sparse in the literature. We analyzed aircraft based trace gas measurements in the Arctic during two NETCARE airborne field camapigns (July 2014 and April 2015) with the Polar 6 aircraft of Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research (AWI), Bremerhaven, Germany, covering an area from Spitsbergen to Alaska (134° W to 17° W and 68° N to 83° N). For the spring (April 2015) and summer (July 2014) season we analyzed transport regimes of mid-latitude air masses travelling to the high Arctic based on CO and CO2 measurements as well as kinematic 10-day back trajectories. The dynamical isolation of the high Arctic lower troposphere caused by the transport barrier leads to gradients of chemical tracers reflecting different local chemical life times and sources and sinks. Particularly gradients of CO and CO2 allowed for a trace gas based definition of the polar dome boundary for the two measurement periods with pronounced seasonal differences. For both campaigns a transition zone rather than a sharp boundary was derived. For July 2014 the polar dome boundary was determined to be 73.5° N latitude and 299–303.5 K potential temperature, respectively. During April 2015 the polar dome boundary was on average located at 66–68.5° N and 283.5–287.5 K. Tracer-tracer scatter plots and probability density functions confirm different air mass properties inside and outside of the polar dome for the July 2014 and April 2015 data set. Using the tracer derived polar dome boundaries the analysis of aerosol data indicates secondary aerosol formation events in the clean summertime polar dome. Synoptic-scale weather systems frequently disturb this transport barrier and foster exchange between air masses from midlatitudes and polar regions. During the second phase of the NETCARE 2014 measurements a pronounced low pressure system south of Resolute Bay brought inflow from southern latitudes that pushed the polar dome northward and significantly affected trace gas mixing ratios in the measurement region. Mean CO mixing ratios increased from 77.9 ± 2.5 ppbv to 84.9 ± 4.7 ppbv from the first period to the second period. At the same time CO2 mixing ratios significantly dropped from 398.16 ± 1.01 ppmv to 393.81 ± 2.25 ppmv. We further analysed processes controlling the recent transport history of air masses within and outside the polar dome. Air masses within the spring time polar dome mainly experienced diabatic cooling while travelling over cold surfaces. In contrast air masses in the summertime polar dome were diabatically heated due to insolation. During both seasons air masses outside the polar dome slowly descended into the Arctic lower troposphere from above caused by radiative cooling. The ascent to the middle and upper troposphere mainly took place outside the Arctic, followed by a northward motion. Our results demonstrate the successful application of a tracer based diagnostic to determine the location of the polar dome boundary.

scholarly journals Characterization of transport regimes and the polar dome during Arctic spring and summer using in situ aircraft measurements

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (23) ◽  
pp. 15049-15071
Author(s):  
Heiko Bozem ◽  
Peter Hoor ◽  
Daniel Kunkel ◽  
Franziska Köllner ◽  
Johannes Schneider ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Potential Temperature ◽  
Lower Troposphere ◽  
High Arctic ◽  
Atmospheric Composition ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Trace Gas ◽  
Chemical Compositions ◽  
Second Phase ◽  
Air Masses ◽  
Mixing Ratios

Abstract. The springtime composition of the Arctic lower troposphere is to a large extent controlled by the transport of midlatitude air masses into the Arctic. In contrast, precipitation and natural sources play the most important role during summer. Within the Arctic region sloping isentropes create a barrier to horizontal transport, known as the polar dome. The polar dome varies in space and time and exhibits a strong influence on the transport of air masses from midlatitudes, enhancing transport during winter and inhibiting transport during summer. We analyzed aircraft-based trace gas measurements in the Arctic from two NETCARE airborne field campaigns (July 2014 and April 2015) with the Alfred Wegener Institute Polar 6 aircraft, covering an area from Spitsbergen to Alaska (134 to 17∘ W and 68 to 83∘ N). Using these data we characterized the transport regimes of midlatitude air masses traveling to the high Arctic based on CO and CO2 measurements as well as kinematic 10 d back trajectories. We found that dynamical isolation of the high Arctic lower troposphere leads to gradients of chemical tracers reflecting different local chemical lifetimes, sources, and sinks. In particular, gradients of CO and CO2 allowed for a trace-gas-based definition of the polar dome boundary for the two measurement periods, which showed pronounced seasonal differences. Rather than a sharp boundary, we derived a transition zone from both campaigns. In July 2014 the polar dome boundary was at 73.5∘ N latitude and 299–303.5 K potential temperature. During April 2015 the polar dome boundary was on average located at 66–68.5∘ N and 283.5–287.5 K. Tracer–tracer scatter plots confirm different air mass properties inside and outside the polar dome in both spring and summer. Further, we explored the processes controlling the recent transport history of air masses within and outside the polar dome. Air masses within the springtime polar dome mainly experienced diabatic cooling while traveling over cold surfaces. In contrast, air masses in the summertime polar dome were diabatically heated due to insolation. During both seasons air masses outside the polar dome slowly descended into the Arctic lower troposphere from above through radiative cooling. Ascent to the middle and upper troposphere mainly took place outside the Arctic, followed by a northward motion. Air masses inside and outside the polar dome were also distinguished by different chemical compositions of both trace gases and aerosol particles. We found that the fraction of amine-containing particles, originating from Arctic marine biogenic sources, is enhanced inside the polar dome. In contrast, concentrations of refractory black carbon are highest outside the polar dome, indicating remote pollution sources. Synoptic-scale weather systems frequently disturb the transport barrier formed by the polar dome and foster exchange between air masses from midlatitudes and polar regions. During the second phase of the NETCARE 2014 measurements a pronounced low-pressure system south of Resolute Bay brought inflow from southern latitudes, which pushed the polar dome northward and significantly affected trace gas mixing ratios in the measurement region. Mean CO mixing ratios increased from 77.9±2.5 to 84.9±4.7 ppbv between these two regimes. At the same time CO2 mixing ratios significantly decreased from 398.16 ± 1.01 to 393.81 ± 2.25 ppmv. Our results demonstrate the utility of applying a tracer-based diagnostic to determine the polar dome boundary for interpreting observations of atmospheric composition in the context of transport history.

Dynamic and thermodynamic drivers of Arctic lower tropospheric warm extremes

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lukas Papritz
Keyword(s):  
Storm Track ◽  
Lower Troposphere ◽  
High Arctic ◽  
Heat Fluxes ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Sensible Heat ◽  
Humid Air ◽  
Secondary Importance ◽  
Air Masses ◽  
Diabatic Processes

<p align="justify">Recent decades have revealed dramatic changes in the high Arctic (> 80°N) related to natural variability and anthropogenic climate change. In particular, episodes of extremely warm temperatures in the lower troposphere and their role for sea ice melting have gained considerable attention. While it has been recognized that injections of warm and humid air masses contribute to wintertime warm anomalies, summertime warm anomalies have also been linked to blocking anticyclones within the high Arctic. Yet, the relative importance of the various thermodynamic and atmospheric dynamical processes that can contribute to the formation of extreme warm anomalies in the high Arctic is poorly understood.</p><p align="justify">In this work, we present a systematic analysis of the processes leading to the formation of winter- and summertime lower tropospheric warm extremes in the high Arctic by means of kinematic backward trajectories based on the ERA-Interim reanalysis. The trajectories enable us to quantify the relative contributions of poleward transport from (potentially) warmer regions, adiabatic warming due to subsidence, and diabatic heating associated with surface sensible heat fluxes and latent heat release. Furthermore, we relate these processes to atmospheric dynamical flow features such as atmospheric blocking and extratropical cyclones.</p><p align="justify">Our analyses reveal that subsidence in blocking anticyclones over the Barents and Kara Seas and diabatic warming by surface sensible heat fluxes are the dominant mechanisms leading to wintertime warm extremes (contributing about 40% each), whereas the transport from southerly latitudes – predominantly accomplished by the injection of warm and humid air masses associated with an intensified and westward displaced storm track in the Nordic Seas - is of secondary importance (20%). Summertime warm anomalies, in contrast, are essentially the result of subsidence in blocking anticyclones (70%) that are located within the high Arctic. Thus, our findings point towards a rich, seasonally varying spectrum of dynamical and thermodynamic processes contributing to Arctic warm extremes that result from a complex interplay between transport induced by dynamical weather systems and diabatic processes. Furthermore, they emphasize the importance of processes within the Arctic for the formation of warm extremes.</p><p align="justify">Papritz, L., 2019: Arctic lower tropospheric warm and cold extremes: horizontal and vertical transport, diabatic processes, and linkage to synoptic circulation features, <em>J. Climate</em>, doi: 10.1175/JCLI-D-19-0638.1</p>

scholarly journals CRISTA-NF measurements with unprecedented vertical resolution during the RECONCILE aircraft campaign

2011 ◽  
Vol 4 (6) ◽  
pp. 6915-6967 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Ungermann ◽  
C. Kalicinsky ◽  
F. Olschewski ◽  
P. Knieling ◽  
L. Hoffmann ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cross Sections ◽  
Polar Vortex ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Trace Gas ◽  
Retrieval Algorithm ◽  
Vertical Resolution ◽  
Gas Mixing ◽  
Air Masses ◽  
Mixing Ratios ◽  
Research Aircraft

Abstract. The Cryogenic Infrared Spectrometers and Telescope for the Atmosphere – New Frontiers (CRISTA-NF), an airborne infrared limb-sounder, was operated aboard the high-flying Russian research aircraft M55-Geophysica during the Arctic RECONCILE campaign from January to March 2011. This paper describes the calibration process of the instrument and the employed retrieval algorithm and then proceeds to present retrieved trace gas mixing ratio cross-sections for one specific flight of this campaign. We are able to resolve the uppermost troposphere/lower stratosphere for several trace gas species for several kilometres below the flight altitude (16 to 19 km) with an unprecedented vertical resolution of 400 to 500 m for the limb-sounding technique. The observations are also characterised by a rather high horizontal sampling along the flight track that provides a full vertical profile every ≈15 km. Assembling the vertical trace gas profiles derived from CRISTA-NF measurements to cross-sections depicts filaments of vortex and extra-vortex air masses in the vicinity of the polar vortex. During this campaign, the M55-Geophysica carried further instruments, which allows for a validation of trace gas mixing ratios derived from CRISTA-NF against measurements by the in situ instruments HAGAR and FOZAN and observations by MIPAS-STR. This validation suggests that the retrieved trace gas mixing ratios are both qualitatively and quantitatively reliable.

scholarly journals Seasonal variability of atmospheric nitrogen oxides and non-methane hydrocarbons at the GEOSummit station, Greenland

2014 ◽  
Vol 14 (9) ◽  
pp. 13817-13867 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. J. Kramer ◽  
D. Helmig ◽  
J. F. Burkhart ◽  
A. Stohl ◽  
S. Oltmans ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Biomass Burning ◽  
Seasonal Variability ◽  
Lower Troposphere ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Free Troposphere ◽  
Alkyl Nitrates ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Air Masses ◽  
Background Levels ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. Measurements of atmospheric NOx (NOx = NO + NO2), peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN), NOy and non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHC) were taken at the GEOSummit Station, Greenland (72.34° N, 38.29° W, 3212 m.a.s.l) from July 2008 to July 2010. The data set represents the first year-round concurrent record of these compounds sampled at a high latitude Arctic site in the free troposphere. Here, the study focused on the seasonal variability of these important ozone (O3) precursors in the Arctic free troposphere and the impact from transported anthropogenic and biomass burning emissions. Our analysis shows that PAN is the dominant NOy species in all seasons at Summit, varying from 49% to 78%, however, we find that odd NOy species (odd NOy = NOy − PAN-NOx) contribute a large amount to the total NOy speciation with monthly means of up to 95 pmol mol−1 in the winter and ∼40 pmol mol−1 in the summer, and that the level of odd NOy species at Summit during summer is greater than that of NOx. We hypothesize that the source of this odd NOy is most likely alkyl nitrates from transported pollution, and photochemically produced species such as HNO3 and HONO. FLEXPART retroplume analysis and tracers for anthropogenic and biomass burning emissions, were used to identify periods when the site was impacted by polluted air masses. Europe contributed the largest source of anthropogenic emissions during the winter and spring months, with up to 82% of the simulated anthropogenic black carbon originating from this region between December 2009 and March 2010, whereas, North America was the primary source of biomass burning emissions. Polluted air masses were typically aged, with median transport times to the site from the source region of 11 days for anthropogenic events in winter, and 14 days for BB plumes. Overall we find that the transport of polluted air masses to the high altitude Arctic typically resulted in high variability in levels of O3 and O3 precursors. During winter, plumes originating from mid-latitude regions and transported in the lower troposphere to Summit often result in lower O3 mole fractions than background levels. However, plumes transported at higher altitudes can result in positive enhancements in O3 levels. It is therefore likely that the air masses transported in the mid-troposphere were mixed with air from stratospheric origin. Similar enhancements in O3 and its precursors were also observed during periods when FLEXPART indicated that biomass burning emissions impacted Summit. The analysis of anthropogenic events over summer show that emissions of anthropogenic origin have a greater impact on O3 and precursor levels at Summit than biomass burning sources during the measurement period, with enhancements above background levels of up to 16 nmol mol−1 for O3 and 237 pmol mol−1 and 205 pmol mol−1, 28 pmol mol−1 and 1.0 nmol mol−1 for NOy, PAN, NOx and ethane, respectively.

scholarly journals Air pollution during the 2003 European heat wave as seen by MOZAIC airliners

2007 ◽  
Vol 7 (6) ◽  
pp. 15911-15954 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Tressol ◽  
C. Ordonez ◽  
R. Zbinden ◽  
V. Thouret ◽  
C. Mari ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heat Wave ◽  
Forest Fires ◽  
Dispersion Model ◽  
Lower Troposphere ◽  
Lagrangian Model ◽  
Air Masses ◽  
Model Simulations ◽  
Mixing Ratios ◽  
Vertical Extension ◽  
Lagrangian Dispersion

Abstract. This study presents an analysis of both MOZAIC profiles above Frankfurt and Lagrangian dispersion model simulations for the 2003 European heat wave. The comparison of MOZAIC measurements in summer 2003 with the 11-year MOZAIC climatology reflects strong temperature anomalies (exceeding 4°C) throughout the lower troposphere. Higher positive anomalies of temperature and negative anomalies of both wind speed and relative humidity are found for the period defined here as the heat wave (2–14 August 2003), compared to the periods before (16–31 July 2003) and after (16–31 August 2003) the heat wave. In addition, Lagrangian model simulations in backward mode indicate the suppressed long-range transport in the mid- to lower troposphere and the enhanced southern origin of air masses for all tropospheric levels during the heat wave. Ozone and carbon monoxide also present strong anomalies (both ~ +40 ppbv) during the heat wave, with a maximum vertical extension reaching 6 km altitude around 11 August 2003. Pollution in the planetary boundary layer (PBL) is enhanced during the day, with ozone mixing ratios two times higher than climatological values. This is due to a combination of factors, such as high temperature and radiation, stagnation of air masses and weak dry deposition, which favour the accumulation of ozone precursors and the build-up of ozone. A negligible role of a stratospheric-origin ozone tracer has been found for the lower troposphere in this study. From 29 July to 15 August 2003 forest fires burned around 0.3×106 ha) in Portugal and added to atmospheric pollution in Europe. Layers with enhanced CO and NOy mixing ratios, probably advected from Portugal, were crossed by the MOZAIC aircraft in the free troposphere over Frankfurt. A series of forward and backward Lagrangian model simulations have been performed to investigate the origin of these anomalies. During the whole heat wave, European anthropogenic emissions present the strongest contribution to the measured CO levels in the lower troposphere (near 30%). This source is followed by Portuguese forest fires which affect the lower troposphere after 6 August 2003 and even the PBL around 10 August 2003. The averaged biomass burning contribution reaches 35% during the affected period. Anthropogenic CO of North American origin only marginally influences CO levels over Europe during that period.

scholarly journals Ozone and carbon monoxide observations over open oceans on R/V <i>Mirai</i> from 67° S to 75° N during 2012 to 2017: Testing global chemical reanalysis in terms of Arctic processes, low ozone levels at low latitudes, and pollution transport

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yugo Kanaya ◽  
Kazuyuki Miyazaki ◽  
Fumikazu Taketani ◽  
Takuma Miyakawa ◽  
Hisahiro Takashima ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Monoxide ◽  
Atmospheric Chemistry ◽  
Critical Evaluation ◽  
Chemical Transport ◽  
Tropospheric Chemistry ◽  
Set Covering ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Pollution Transport ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Air Masses

Abstract. Constraints from ozone (O3) observations over oceans are needed in addition to those from terrestrial regions to fully understand global tropospheric chemistry and its impact on the climate. Here, we provide a large data set of ozone and carbon monoxide (CO) levels observed (for 11 666 and 10 681 h, respectively) over oceans. The data set is derived from observations made during 24 research cruise legs of R/V Mirai during 2012 to 2017, in the Southern, Indian, Pacific, and Arctic Oceans, covering the region from 67° S to 75° N. The data are suitable for critical evaluation of the over-ocean distribution of ozone derived from chemical transport models. We first give an overview of the statistics in the data set and highlight key features in terms of geographical distribution and air mass type. We then use the data set to evaluate ozone concentration fields from Tropospheric Chemistry Reanalysis version 2 (TCR-2), produced by assimilating a suite of satellite observations of multiple species into a chemical transport model, namely CHASER. For long-range transport of polluted air masses from continents to the oceans, during which the effects of forest fires and fossil fuel combustion were recognized, TCR-2 gave an excellent performance in reproducing the observed temporal variations and photochemical buildup of O3 when assessed from ΔO3 / ΔCO ratios. For clean marine conditions with low and stable CO concentrations, two focused analyses were performed. The first was in the Arctic (> 70° N) in September every year from 2013 to 2016; TCR-2 underpredicted O3 levels by 6.7 ppb (21 %) on average. The observed vertical profiles from O3 soundings from R/V Mirai during September 2014 had less steep vertical gradients at low altitudes (> 850 hPa) than those obtained TCR-2. This suggests the possibilities of more efficient descent of the O3-rich air from above or less efficient dry deposition on the surface than were assumed in the model. In the second analysis, over the western Pacific equatorial region (125–165° E, 10° S to 25° N), the observed O3 level frequently decreased to less than 10 ppb in comparison to that obtained with TCR-2, and also those obtained in most of the Atmospheric Chemistry Climate Model Intercomparison Project (ACCMIP) model runs for the decade from 2000. These results imply loss processes that are unaccounted for in the models. We found that the model’s positive bias positively correlated with the daytime residence times of air masses over a particular grid, namely 165–180° E and 15–30° N; an additional loss rate of 0.25 ppb h−1 in the grid best explained the gap. Halogen chemistry, which is commonly omitted from currently used models, might be active in this region and could have contributed to additional losses. Our open data set covering wide ocean regions is complementary to the Tropospheric Ozone Assessment Report data set, which basically comprises ground-based observations, and enables a fully global study of the behavior of O3.

Trace gases and organic aerosol at a rural site in Vietnam during large scale biomass burning

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simone M. Pieber ◽  
Dac-Loc Nguyen ◽  
Hendryk Czech ◽  
Stephan Henne ◽  
Nicolas Bukowiecki ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Chemical Composition ◽  
Biomass Burning ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Trace Gases ◽  
Organic Aerosol ◽  
Trace Gas ◽  
Rural Site ◽  
Air Masses ◽  
Mixing Ratios

&lt;p&gt;Open biomass burning (BB) is a globally widespread phenomenon. The fires release pollutants, which are harmful for human and ecosystem health and alter the Earth's radiative balance. Yet, the impact of various types of BB on the global radiative forcing remains poorly constrained concerning greenhouse gas emissions, BB organic aerosol (OA) chemical composition and related light absorbing properties. Fire emissions composition is influenced by multiple factors (e.g., fuel and thereby vegetation-type, fuel moisture, fire temperature, available oxygen). Due to regional variations in these parameters, studies in different world regions are needed. Here we investigate the influence of seasonally recurring BB on trace gas concentration and air quality at the regional Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW) station Pha Din (PDI) in rural Northwestern Vietnam. PDI is located in a sparsely populated area on the top of a hill (1466 m a.s.l.) and is well suited to study the large-scale fires on the Indochinese Peninsula, whose pollution plumes are frequently transported towards the site [1]. We present continuous trace gas observations of CO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;, CH&lt;sub&gt;4&lt;/sub&gt;, CO, and O&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt; conducted at PDI since 2014 and interpret the data with atmospheric transport simulations. Annually recurrent large scale BB leads to hourly time-scale peaks CO mixing ratios at PDI of 1000 to 1500 ppb around every April since the start of data collection in 2014. We complement this analysis with carbonaceous PM&lt;sub&gt;2.5 &lt;/sub&gt;chemical composition analyzed during an intensive campaign in March-April 2015. This includes measurements of elemental and organic carbon (EC/OC) and more than 50 organic markers, such as sugars, PAHs, fatty acids and nitro-aromatics [2]. For the intensive campaign, we linked CO, CO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;, CH&lt;sub&gt;4&lt;/sub&gt; and O&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt; mixing ratios to a statistical classification of BB events, which is based on OA composition. We found increased CO and O&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt; levels during medium and high BB influence during the intensive campaign. A backward trajectory analysis confirmed different source regions for the identified periods based on the OA cluster. Typically, cleaner air masses arrived from northeast, i.e., mainland China and Yellow sea during the intensive campaign. The more polluted periods were characterized by trajectories from southwest, with more continental recirculation of the medium cluster, and more westerly advection for the high cluster. These findings highlight that BB activities in Northern Southeast Asia significantly enhances the regional OA loading, chemical PM&lt;sub&gt;2.5 &lt;/sub&gt;composition and the trace gases in northwestern Vietnam. The presented analysis adds valuable data on air quality in a region of scarce data availability.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;REFERENCES&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;[1] Bukowiecki, N. et al. Effect of Large-scale Biomass Burning on Aerosol Optical Properties at the GAW Regional Station Pha Din, Vietnam. AAQR. 19, 1172&amp;#8211;1187 (2019).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;[2] Nguyen, D. L, et al. Carbonaceous aerosol composition in air masses influenced by large-scale biomass burning: a case-study in Northwestern Vietnam. ACPD., https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-2020-1027, in review, 2020.&lt;/p&gt;

scholarly journals Simultaneous measurements of aerosol size distributions at three sites in the European high Arctic

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (11) ◽  
pp. 7377-7395 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manuel Dall'Osto ◽  
David C. S. Beddows ◽  
Peter Tunved ◽  
Roy M. Harrison ◽  
Angelo Lupi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cluster Analysis ◽  
Cloud Condensation Nuclei ◽  
High Arctic ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Research Station ◽  
Size Distributions ◽  
Aerosol Formation ◽  
Condensation Nuclei ◽  
Main Mode ◽  
Accumulation Mode

Abstract. Aerosols are an integral part of the Arctic climate system due to their direct interaction with radiation and indirect interaction through cloud formation. Understanding aerosol size distributions and their dynamics is crucial for the ability to predict these climate relevant effects. When of favourable size and composition, both long-range-transported – and locally formed particles – may serve as cloud condensation nuclei (CCN). Small changes of composition or size may have a large impact on the low CCN concentrations currently characteristic of the Arctic environment. We present a cluster analysis of particle size distributions (PSDs; size range 8–500 nm) simultaneously collected from three high Arctic sites during a 3-year period (2013–2015). Two sites are located in the Svalbard archipelago: Zeppelin research station (ZEP; 474 m above ground) and the nearby Gruvebadet Observatory (GRU; about 2 km distance from Zeppelin, 67 m above ground). The third site (Villum Research Station at Station Nord, VRS; 30 m above ground) is 600 km west-northwest of Zeppelin, at the tip of north-eastern Greenland. The GRU site is included in an inter-site comparison for the first time. K-means cluster analysis provided eight specific aerosol categories, further combined into broad PSD classes with similar characteristics, namely pristine low concentrations (12 %–14 % occurrence), new particle formation (16 %–32 %), Aitken (21 %–35 %) and accumulation (20 %–50 %). Confined for longer time periods by consolidated pack sea ice regions, the Greenland site GRU shows PSDs with lower ultrafine-mode aerosol concentrations during summer but higher accumulation-mode aerosol concentrations during winter, relative to the Svalbard sites. By association with chemical composition and cloud condensation nuclei properties, further conclusions can be derived. Three distinct types of accumulation-mode aerosol are observed during winter months. These are associated with sea spray (largest detectable sizes, >400 nm), Arctic haze (main mode at 150 nm) and aged accumulation-mode (main mode at 220 nm) aerosols. In contrast, locally produced particles, most likely of marine biogenic origin, exhibit size distributions dominated by the nucleation and Aitken mode during summer months. The obtained data and analysis point towards future studies, including apportioning the relative contribution of primary and secondary aerosol formation processes and elucidating anthropogenic aerosol dynamics and transport and removal processes across the Greenland Sea. In order to address important research questions in the Arctic on scales beyond a singular station or measurement events, it is imperative to continue strengthening international scientific cooperation.

scholarly journals Seasonal characteristics of trace gas transport into the extratropical upper troposphere and lower stratosphere

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (10) ◽  
pp. 7073-7103 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoichi Inai ◽  
Ryo Fujita ◽  
Toshinobu Machida ◽  
Hidekazu Matsueda ◽  
Yousuke Sawa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lower Stratosphere ◽  
Trace Gases ◽  
Source Region ◽  
Lower Troposphere ◽  
Trace Gas ◽  
Air Masses ◽  
Backward Trajectories ◽  
Upper Troposphere ◽  
Passive Behavior ◽  
Seasonal Characteristics

Abstract. To investigate the seasonal characteristics of trace gas distributions in the extratropical upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (ExUTLS) as well as stratosphere–troposphere exchange processes, origin fractions of air masses originating in the stratosphere, tropical troposphere, midlatitude lower troposphere (LT), and high-latitude LT in the ExUTLS are estimated using 10-year backward trajectories calculated with European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) ERA-Interim data as the meteorological input. Time series of trace gases obtained from ground-based and airborne observations are incorporated into the trajectories, thus reconstructing spatiotemporal distributions of trace gases in the ExUTLS. The reconstructed tracer distributions are analyzed with the origin fractions and the stratospheric age of air (AoA) estimated using the backward trajectories. The reconstructed distributions of SF6 and CO2 in the ExUTLS are linearly correlated with those of AoA because of their chemically passive behavior and quasi-stable increasing trends in the troposphere. Distributions of CH4, N2O, and CO are controlled primarily by chemical decay along the transport path from the source region via the stratosphere and subsequent mixing of such stratospheric air masses with tropospheric air masses in the ExUTLS.

scholarly journals Middle atmospheric water vapour and dynamics in the vicinity of the polar vortex during the Hygrosonde-2 campaign

2009 ◽  
Vol 9 (13) ◽  
pp. 4407-4417 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Lossow ◽  
M. Khaplanov ◽  
J. Gumbel ◽  
J. Stegman ◽  
G. Witt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Vapour ◽  
Middle Atmosphere ◽  
Polar Vortex ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Air Masses ◽  
Mixing Ratios ◽  
Water Vapour Concentration ◽  
Wind Shears

Abstract. The Hygrosonde-2 campaign took place on 16 December 2001 at Esrange/Sweden (68° N, 21° E) with the aim to investigate the small scale distribution of water vapour in the middle atmosphere in the vicinity of the Arctic polar vortex. In situ balloon and rocket-borne measurements of water vapour were performed by means of OH fluorescence hygrometry. The combined measurements yielded a high resolution water vapour profile up to an altitude of 75 km. Using the characteristic of water vapour being a dynamical tracer it was possible to directly relate the water vapour data to the location of the polar vortex edge, which separates air masses of different character inside and outside the polar vortex. The measurements probed extra-vortex air in the altitude range between 45 km and 60 km and vortex air elsewhere. Transitions between vortex and extra-vortex usually coincided with wind shears caused by gravity waves which advect air masses with different water vapour volume mixing ratios. From the combination of the results from the Hygrosonde-2 campaign and the first flight of the optical hygrometer in 1994 (Hygrosonde-1) a clear picture of the characteristic water vapour distribution inside and outside the polar vortex can be drawn. Systematic differences in the water vapour concentration between the inside and outside of the polar vortex can be observed all the way up into the mesosphere. It is also evident that in situ measurements with high spatial resolution are needed to fully account for the small-scale exchange processes in the polar winter middle atmosphere.

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