scholarly journals Aerosol formation over the Boreal forest in Hyytiälä, Finland: monthly frequency and annual cycles – the roles of air mass characteristics and synoptic scale meteorology

2006 ◽  
Vol 6 (5) ◽  
pp. 10425-10462 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. D. Nilsson ◽  
M. Kulmala
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Boreal Forest ◽  
Atmospheric Aerosol ◽  
Cloud Condensation Nucleus ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
General Factor ◽  
Initial Growth ◽  
Aerosol Formation ◽  
Weather System ◽  
Air Masses

Abstract. New atmospheric particles with diameters of 3–10 nm and their subsequent growth to cloud condensation nucleus have been observed at various places in the European boundary layer. These events have been observed simultaneously within wide geographical areas (over 1000 km) in connection to specific weather systems, the cold air behind cyclones. Here we show that atmospheric aerosol formation (i.e. nucleation and initial growth) is favoured by the outbreak of cold Arctic air over northern Europe. Aerosol formation was about twice as common in Arctic air as in sub-Polar air, and even more so compared to other air masses. The most important general factor favouring aerosol formation in Arctic air and marine air was weaker competing condensational sink (CS) for the precursor gases (less pre-existing aerosols), while high CS prevented aerosol formation in heated sub-Polar air and mid-latitude air. High SO2 levels favoured nucleation in continental air and high UV-B radiation in sub-tropical air. The critical factor that determined if aerosol formation would start on a day with Arctic air was the UV-B radiation. The same applied to sub-Polar air and continental air, while increased SO2 concentration could trigger formation in heated sub-Polar and mid-latitude air, and reduced CS could cause formation in mid-latitude, marine or mixed/transient air. We speculate that strong emissions of volatile organic compounds from the Boreal forest and strong boundary layer dynamics may have caused aerosol formation in sub-Polar air masses and air in transition from a marine to a continental character. The monthly frequency of Arctic air masses and the probability for photo-chemically driven aerosol formation explains the observed annual cycle in monthly particle formation frequency as well as much of the inter annual variability. The same cyclones that transport cold, clean air from the Arctic to Europe will also transport warm polluted air in the other direction, which help cause the Arctic Haze phenomena. The cyclones have a key role for the atmospheric aerosol life cycle in mid to high latitudes. Due to the observed growth to the size of CCN in one to two days, there is a potential feed back from the effects on the CCN population and cloud albedo even within the same weather system, but also on the climatic time scale.

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 Ozone variability and halogen oxidation within the Arctic and sub-Arctic springtime boundary layer

2010 ◽  
Vol 10 (21) ◽  
pp. 10223-10236 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. B. Gilman ◽  
J. F. Burkhart ◽  
B. M. Lerner ◽  
E. J. Williams ◽  
W. C. Kuster ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Marine Boundary Layer ◽  
Transport Model ◽  
Arctic Basin ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Arctic Boundary Layer ◽  
Air Masses ◽  
The North ◽  
The North Atlantic

Abstract. The influence of halogen oxidation on the variabilities of ozone (O3) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) within the Arctic and sub-Arctic atmospheric boundary layer was investigated using field measurements from multiple campaigns conducted in March and April 2008 as part of the POLARCAT project. For the ship-based measurements, a high degree of correlation (r = 0.98 for 544 data points collected north of 68° N) was observed between the acetylene to benzene ratio, used as a marker for chlorine and bromine oxidation, and O3 signifying the vast influence of halogen oxidation throughout the ice-free regions of the North Atlantic. Concurrent airborne and ground-based measurements in the Alaskan Arctic substantiated this correlation and were used to demonstrate that halogen oxidation influenced O3 variability throughout the Arctic boundary layer during these springtime studies. Measurements aboard the R/V Knorr in the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans provided a unique view of the transport of O3-poor air masses from the Arctic Basin to latitudes as far south as 52° N. FLEXPART, a Lagrangian transport model, was used to quantitatively determine the exposure of air masses encountered by the ship to first-year ice (FYI), multi-year ice (MYI), and total ICE (FYI+MYI). O3 anti-correlated with the modeled total ICE tracer (r = −0.86) indicating that up to 73% of the O3 variability measured in the Arctic marine boundary layer could be related to sea ice exposure.

Sulfate aerosol formation in the Arctic boundary layer

1998 ◽  
Vol 103 (D7) ◽  
pp. 8309-8321 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liisa Pirjola ◽  
Ari Laaksonen ◽  
Pasi Aalto ◽  
Markku Kulmala
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Sulfate Aerosol ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Aerosol Formation ◽  
Arctic Boundary Layer

scholarly journals Black carbon in the marine boundary layer over the North Atlantic and seas of the Russian arctic in june-september 2017

2019 ◽  
Vol 59 (5) ◽  
pp. 771-776
Author(s):  
V. P. Shevchenko ◽  
V. M. Kopeikin ◽  
A. N. Novigatsky ◽  
G. V. Malafeev
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Black Carbon ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Marine Boundary Layer ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Air Masses ◽  
South Eastern ◽  
The North ◽  
The North Atlantic ◽  
Eastern Baltic

The paper presents the results of a study of the concentrations of black carbon in the marine boundary layer over the Baltic and North Seas, the North Atlantic, the Norwegian, the Barents, the Kara and the Laptev seas from June 30 to September 29, 2017 in the 68th and 69th voyages of research vessel "Akademik Mstislav Keldysh". Black carbon has a significant impact on climate change and the degree of pollution of the Arctic. Black carbon is formed as a result of incomplete combustion of fossil fuels (primarily coal, oil) and biomass or biofuel. It consists of submicron particles and their aggregates and can be transported a great distance from the source. Samples were taken by pumping air for 46 hours through quartz filters Hahnemule at an altitude of 10 m above sea level in a headwind to prevent smoke of the vessel from entering the filters. Subsequently, the black carbon content was determined in the laboratory by the aetalometric method. The backward trajectories of the air mass transfer and the black carbon particles transported by them to the sampling points were calculated using the HYSPLIT (Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory) model at http://www.arl.noaa.gov/ready.html. The conducted studies show low values of black carbon concentrations (50 ng/m3) along the expedition route when air masses came from the background areas of the North Atlantic and the Arctic. High concentrations of black carbon (100200 ng/m3 and higher) are characteristic for areas with active navigation (the South-Eastern Baltic, the North Sea) and near ports (eg Reykjavik), as well as for incoming air masses from the industrialized regions of Europe to South-Eastern Baltic and from areas of oil and gas fields where associated gas is flared (the North, the Norwegian and the Kara seas).

scholarly journals Ozone variability and halogen oxidation within the Arctic and sub-Arctic springtime boundary layer

2010 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 15885-15919 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. B. Gilman ◽  
J. F. Burkhart ◽  
B. M. Lerner ◽  
E. J. Williams ◽  
W. C. Kuster ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Marine Boundary Layer ◽  
Transport Model ◽  
Arctic Basin ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Arctic Boundary Layer ◽  
Air Masses ◽  
The North ◽  
The North Atlantic

Abstract. The influence of halogen oxidation on the variabilities of ozone (O3) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) within the Arctic and sub-Arctic atmospheric boundary layer was investigated using field measurements from multiple campaigns conducted in March and April 2008 as part of the POLARCAT project. For the ship-based measurements, a high degree of correlation (r=0.98 for 544 data points collected north of 68° N) was observed between the acetylene to benzene ratio, used as a marker for halogen oxidation, and O3 signifying the vast influence of bromine oxidation throughout the ice-free regions of the North Atlantic. Concurrent airborne and ground-based measurements in the Alaskan Arctic substantiated this correlation and were used to demonstrate that halogen oxidation influenced O3 variability throughout the Arctic boundary layer during these springtime studies. Measurements aboard the R/V "Knorr" in the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans provided a unique view of the transport of O3-poor air masses from the Arctic Basin to latitudes as far south as 52° N. FLEXPART, a Lagrangian transport model, was used to quantitatively determine the exposure of air masses encountered by the ship to first-year ice (FYI), multi-year ice (MYI), and total ICE (FYI+MYI). O3 anti-correlated with the modeled total ICE tracer (r=−0.86) indicating that up to 73% of the O3 variability measured in the Arctic marine boundary layer could be related to sea ice exposure.

scholarly journals A QUALITATIVE DESCRIPTION OF BOUNDARY LAYER WIND SPEED RECORDS

2006 ◽  
Vol 06 (02) ◽  
pp. L201-L213 ◽  
Author(s):  
RAJESH G. KAVASSERI ◽  
RADHAKRISHNAN NAGARAJAN
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Wind Speed ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Geographical Location ◽  
Qualitative Description ◽  
Rapid Progression ◽  
Polar Regions ◽  
Weather System ◽  
Air Masses ◽  
Wide Range

The complexity of the atmosphere endows it with the property of turbulence by virtue of which, wind speed variations in the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) exhibit highly irregular fluctuations that persist over a wide range of temporal and spatial scales. Despite the large and significant body of work on microscale turbulence, understanding the statistics of atmospheric wind speed variations has proved to be elusive and challenging. Knowledge about the nature of wind speed at ABL has far reaching impact on several fields of research such as meteorology, hydrology, agriculture, pollutant dispersion, and more importantly wind energy generation. In the present study, temporal wind speed records from twenty eight stations distributed through out the state of North Dakota (ND, USA), (~ 70,000 square-miles) and spanning a period of nearly eight years are analyzed. We show that these records exhibit a characteristic broad multifractal spectrum irrespective of the geographical location and topography. The rapid progression of air masses with distinct qualitative characteristics originating from Polar regions, Gulf of Mexico and Northern Pacific account for irregular changes in the local weather system in ND. We hypothesize that one of the primary reasons for the observed multifractal structure could be the irregular recurrence and confluence of these three air masses.

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