scholarly journals Characterizing the Arctic absorbing aerosol with multi-instrument observations

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eija Asmi ◽  
John Backman ◽  
Henri Servomaa ◽  
Aki Virkkula ◽  
Maria Gini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Absorption Coefficient ◽  
Light Absorption ◽  
Source Region ◽  
Absorption Measurement ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Air Masses ◽  
The North ◽  
Aerosol Absorption ◽  
North Eastern ◽  
Absorption Photometer

Abstract. The Arctic absorbing aerosols have a high potential to accelerate global warming. Accurate and sensitive measurements of their concentrations, variability and atmospheric mixing are needed. Filter-based aerosol light absorption measurement methods are the most widely applied in the Arctic. Those will be the focus of this study. Aerosol light absorption was measured during one month field campaign in June–July 2019 at the Pallas Global Atmospheric Watch (GAW) station in northern Finland. The campaign provided a real-world test for different absorption measurement techniques supporting the goals of the EMPIR BC metrology project in developing aerosol absorption standard and reference methods. Very low aerosol concentrations prevailed during the campaign which imposed a challenge for the instruments detection. In this study we compare the results from five filter-based absorption techniques: Aethalometer models AE31 and AE33, Particle Soot Absorption Photometer (PSAP), Multi Angle Absorption Photometer (MAAP) and Continuous Soot Monitoring System (COSMOS), and from one indirect method called Extinction Minus Scattering (EMS). The sensitivity of the filter-based techniques was adequate to measure aerosol light absorption coefficients down to around 0.05 Mm−1 levels. The average value measured during the campaign using MAAP was 0.09 Mm−1 (at wavelength of 637 nm). When data were averaged for > 1 h, an agreement of around 20 % was obtained between instruments. COSMOS measured systematically the lowest absorption coefficient values, which was expected due to the sample pre-treatment in COSMOS inlet. PSAP showed the best linear correlation with MAAP (R2 = 0.85), followed by AE33 and COSMOS (R2 = 0.84). The noisy data from AE31 resulted in a slightly lower, yet a significant, correlation with MAAP (R2 = 0.46). In contrast to the filter-based techniques, the sensitivity of the indirect EMS method to measure aerosol absorption was not adequate at such low concentrations levels. An absorption coefficient on the order of > 1 Mm−1 was estimated as the lowest limit, to reliably distinguish the signal from the noise. Throughout the campaign the aerosol was highly scattering with an average single-scattering albedo of 0.97. Two different air-mass origins could be identified: the north-east and from the north-west. The north-eastern air masses contained higher fraction of thickly coated light absorbing particles than the westerly air masses. Aerosol scattering, absorption and the particle coating thickness increased on the last ten days of the campaign during the north-eastern air flow. The simultaneous changes in aerosol source region, mixing state, concentration and particle optical size were reflected in the instruments' response in a complex way. The observed decrease in aerosol size suggested additional activation of secondary particle formation mechanisms. The results demonstrate the challenges encountered in the Arctic absorbing aerosol measurements. The applicability and uncertainties of different techniques are discussed and new knowledge on the absorbing aerosol characteristics in summer Arctic air masses reference to the source region is provided.

scholarly journals Absorption instruments inter-comparison campaign at the Arctic Pallas station

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (8) ◽  
pp. 5397-5413
Author(s):  
Eija Asmi ◽  
John Backman ◽  
Henri Servomaa ◽  
Aki Virkkula ◽  
Maria I. Gini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Light Absorption ◽  
Measurement Techniques ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Aerosol Absorption ◽  
Scattering Correction ◽  
Pre Treatment ◽  
Indirect Technique ◽  
June July ◽  
Measurement Practices ◽  
Absorption Photometer

Abstract. Aerosol light absorption was measured during a 1-month field campaign in June–July 2019 at the Pallas Global Atmospheric Watch (GAW) station in northern Finland. Very low aerosol concentrations prevailed during the campaign, which posed a challenge for the instruments' detection capabilities. The campaign provided a real-world test for different absorption measurement techniques supporting the goals of the European Metrology Programme for Innovation and Research (EMPIR) Black Carbon (BC) project in developing aerosol absorption standard and reference methods. In this study we compare the results from five filter-based absorption techniques – aethalometer models AE31 and AE33, a particle soot absorption photometer (PSAP), a multi-angle absorption photometer (MAAP), and a continuous soot monitoring system (COSMOS) – and from one indirect technique called extinction minus scattering (EMS). The ability of the filter-based techniques was shown to be adequate to measure aerosol light absorption coefficients down to around 0.01 Mm−1 levels when data were averaged to 1–2 h. The hourly averaged atmospheric absorption measured by the reference MAAP was 0.09 Mm−1 (at a wavelength of 637 nm). When data were averaged for >1 h, the filter-based methods agreed to around 40 %. COSMOS systematically measured the lowest absorption coefficient values, which was expected due to the sample pre-treatment in the COSMOS inlet. PSAP showed the best linear correlation with MAAP (slope=0.95, R2=0.78), followed by AE31 (slope=0.93). A scattering correction applied to PSAP data improved the data accuracy despite the added noise. However, at very high scattering values the correction led to an underestimation of the absorption. The AE31 data had the highest noise and the correlation with MAAP was the lowest (R2=0.65). Statistically the best linear correlations with MAAP were obtained for AE33 and COSMOS (R2 close to 1), but the biases at around the zero values led to slopes clearly below 1. The sample pre-treatment in the COSMOS instrument resulted in the lowest fitted slope. In contrast to the filter-based techniques, the indirect EMS method was not adequate to measure the low absorption values found at the Pallas site. The lowest absorption at which the EMS signal could be distinguished from the noise was >0.1 Mm−1 at 1–2 h averaging times. The mass absorption cross section (MAC) value measured at a range 0–0.3 Mm−1 was calculated using the MAAP and a single particle soot photometer (SP2), resulting in a MAC value of 16.0±5.7 m2 g−1. Overall, our results demonstrate the challenges encountered in the aerosol absorption measurements in pristine environments and provide some useful guidelines for instrument selection and measurement practices. We highlight the need for a calibrated transfer standard for better inter-comparability of the absorption results.

scholarly journals Aerosol Light Absorption at 1064 nm: Pollution Sources, Meteorological Parameters and Gas Pollutants in Qingdao Coastal Area, China

Atmosphere ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 1553
Author(s):  
Jie Chen ◽  
Wenyue Zhu ◽  
Qiang Liu ◽  
Xianmei Qian ◽  
Xuebin Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Absorption Coefficient ◽  
Light Absorption ◽  
Aerosol Particles ◽  
Anthropogenic Pollution ◽  
Atmospheric Environment ◽  
Air Masses ◽  
Aerosol Absorption ◽  
Coastal Cities ◽  
Sampling Campaign ◽  
Aerosol Sources

A two-month sampling campaign was carried out from 1 November to 30 December 2019, to investigate the light absorption of aerosols at coastal sites in Qingdao. The average values and standard deviations of the absorption coefficient (OAC) at λ = 1064 nm during the measurement period were 18.52 ± 13.31 Mm−1. Combined with the backward trajectory model, the aerosol absorption coefficient and gas pollution concentration of six possible air mass trajectories were obtained and calculated. The maximum absorption coefficient of local air masses was approximately 20.4 Mm−1 and anthropogenic pollution originated from mainly local sources in the Jiaozhou area. In our measurements at this site, the results also showed that there was a positive correlation between relative humidity (RH) and aerosol absorption. Without considering other factors, the size of aerosol particles grew with the increasing of RH, which changed the nonlinear relationship between the size and the absorption cross section of aerosol particles subsequently. In addition, the correlations between gas pollutants and OAC were calculated. The atmospheric environment is complex in sea–land intersection areas, especially in coastal cities. Analysis of various aerosol sources, meteorological conditions, and gas precursors enhances the study of aerosol optical absorption.

scholarly journals The sensitivity of the Arctic sea ice to orbitally induced insolation changes: a study of the mid-Holocene Paleoclimate Modelling Intercomparison Project 2 and 3 simulations

2013 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 969-982 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Berger ◽  
J. Brandefelt ◽  
J. Nilsson
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
Arctic Sea Ice ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Eastern Coast ◽  
Sea Ice Extent ◽  
The North ◽  
Arctic Sea ◽  
North Eastern ◽  
Intercomparison Project ◽  
Insolation Change

Abstract. In the present work the Arctic sea ice in the mid-Holocene and the pre-industrial climates are analysed and compared on the basis of climate-model results from the Paleoclimate Modelling Intercomparison Project phase 2 (PMIP2) and phase 3 (PMIP3). The PMIP3 models generally simulate smaller and thinner sea-ice extents than the PMIP2 models both for the pre-industrial and the mid-Holocene climate. Further, the PMIP2 and PMIP3 models all simulate a smaller and thinner Arctic summer sea-ice cover in the mid-Holocene than in the pre-industrial control climate. The PMIP3 models also simulate thinner winter sea ice than the PMIP2 models. The winter sea-ice extent response, i.e. the difference between the mid-Holocene and the pre-industrial climate, varies among both PMIP2 and PMIP3 models. Approximately one half of the models simulate a decrease in winter sea-ice extent and one half simulates an increase. The model-mean summer sea-ice extent is 11 % (21 %) smaller in the mid-Holocene than in the pre-industrial climate simulations in the PMIP2 (PMIP3). In accordance with the simple model of Thorndike (1992), the sea-ice thickness response to the insolation change from the pre-industrial to the mid-Holocene is stronger in models with thicker ice in the pre-industrial climate simulation. Further, the analyses show that climate models for which the Arctic sea-ice responses to increasing atmospheric CO2 concentrations are similar may simulate rather different sea-ice responses to the change in solar forcing between the mid-Holocene and the pre-industrial. For two specific models, which are analysed in detail, this difference is found to be associated with differences in the simulated cloud fractions in the summer Arctic; in the model with a larger cloud fraction the effect of insolation change is muted. A sub-set of the mid-Holocene simulations in the PMIP ensemble exhibit open water off the north-eastern coast of Greenland in summer, which can provide a fetch for surface waves. This is in broad agreement with recent analyses of sea-ice proxies, indicating that beach-ridges formed on the north-eastern coast of Greenland during the early- to mid-Holocene.

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.

Comparison of Two Filter-Based Reflectance Methods to Measure the Light Absorption by Atmospheric Aerosols

2014 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 923-929 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rudra Aryal ◽  
Paul Terman ◽  
Kenneth J. Voss
Keyword(s):  
Absorption Coefficient ◽  
Atmospheric Aerosols ◽  
Light Absorption ◽  
Aerosol Particles ◽  
Sampling Scheme ◽  
Sampling Area ◽  
Aerosol Absorption ◽  
Light Absorption Coefficient ◽  
M Theory ◽  
Full Day

Abstract Two reflectance techniques, based on Kubelka–Munk (K-M) theory and on the Beer–Lambert (B-L) law, were used to measure the absorption coefficient of aerosol particles collected on a filter. The two methods agreed, with the B-L technique being higher than the K-M method by a factor of 1.10, but with a correlation, r2, between the two methods of 0.99. The aerosol absorption Ångström exponents (AAE) between the two methods also agreed within 0.4 and were in the range of measurements reported in the literature with other techniques. The precision of the two methods depends on the volume of air sampled, but a typical sampling scheme (100 L min−1, 10 cm2 sampling area, full day of sampling) results in a precision in the measurement of the aerosol light absorption coefficient of 0.05 Mm−1.

Holocene Trends in 18O in Land Snail Shells from the Negev Desert and Their Implications for Changes in Rainfall Source Areas

1991 ◽  
Vol 35 (3-Part1) ◽  
pp. 417-426 ◽  
Author(s):  
Glenn A. Goodfriend
Keyword(s):  
Atmospheric Circulation ◽  
Source Region ◽  
Circulation Pattern ◽  
Land Snail ◽  
Negev Desert ◽  
Eastern Africa ◽  
Air Masses ◽  
Stable Pattern ◽  
North Eastern ◽  
Shell Carbonate

AbstractThe δ18O value of the carbonate of land snail shells is related to the 18O content of precipitation, which in turn relates to the source region and trajectory of the rain-bearing air masses. Analyses of 18O of the shell carbonate of 76 radiocarbon-dated Holocene samples of the land snail Trochoidea seetzeni from the northern Negev Desert in southern Israel were carried out and the results were compared to modern snails from the same region. Early Holocene δ18O values are similar to modern but during the period centered around 6500-6000 yr B.P., a depletion of some 2%. below modern is observed. A change in the atmospheric circulation pattern for this period is thus indicated, most likely an increase in the frequency of storm systems reaching the region from north-eastern Africa. By 3500 yr B.P., δ18O values had reached modern levels and indicate a stable pattern of atmospheric circulation since that time.

scholarly journals Atmospheric rivers and associated precipitation patterns during the ACLOUD and PASCAL campaigns near Svalbard (May–June 2017): case studies using observations, reanalyses, and a regional climate model

2022 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 441-463
Author(s):  
Carolina Viceto ◽  
Irina V. Gorodetskaya ◽  
Annette Rinke ◽  
Marion Maturilli ◽  
Alfredo Rocha ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Wind Speed ◽  
Sea Ice ◽  
Climate Model ◽  
Regional Climate ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Atmospheric Rivers ◽  
The North ◽  
Tracking Algorithms ◽  
North Eastern ◽  
Sea Ice Edge

Abstract. Recently, a significant increase in the atmospheric moisture content has been documented over the Arctic, where both local contributions and poleward moisture transport from lower latitudes can play a role. This study focuses on the anomalous moisture transport events confined to long and narrow corridors, known as atmospheric rivers (ARs), which are expected to have a strong influence on Arctic moisture amounts, precipitation, and the energy budget. During two concerted intensive measurement campaigns – Arctic CLoud Observations Using airborne measurements during polar Day (ACLOUD) and the Physical feedbacks of Arctic planetary boundary layer, Sea ice, Cloud and AerosoL (PASCAL) – that took place at and near Svalbard, three high-water-vapour-transport events were identified as ARs, based on two tracking algorithms: the 30 May event, the 6 June event, and the 9 June 2017 event. We explore the temporal and spatial evolution of the events identified as ARs and the associated precipitation patterns in detail using measurements from the French (Polar Institute Paul Emile Victor) and German (Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research) Arctic Research Base (AWIPEV) in Ny-Ålesund, satellite-borne measurements, several reanalysis products (the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) Re-Analysis (ERA) Interim (ERA-Interim); the ERA5 reanalysis; the Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications, version 2 (MERRA-2); the Climate Forecast System version 2 (CFSv2); and the Japanese 55-Year Reanalysis (JRA-55)), and the HIRHAM regional climate model version 5 (HIRHAM5). Results show that the tracking algorithms detected the events differently, which is partly due to differences in the spatial and temporal resolution as well as differences in the criteria used in the tracking algorithms. The first event extended from western Siberia to Svalbard, caused mixed-phase precipitation, and was associated with a retreat of the sea-ice edge. The second event, 1 week later, had a similar trajectory, and most precipitation occurred as rain, although mixed-phase precipitation or only snowfall occurred in some areas, mainly over the coast of north-eastern Greenland and the north-east of Iceland, and no differences were noted in the sea-ice edge. The third event showed a different pathway extending from the north-eastern Atlantic towards Greenland before turning south-eastward and reaching Svalbard. This last AR caused high precipitation amounts on the east coast of Greenland in the form of rain and snow and showed no precipitation in the Svalbard region. The vertical profiles of specific humidity show layers of enhanced moisture that were concurrent with dry layers during the first two events and that were not captured by all of the reanalysis datasets, whereas the HIRHAM5 model misrepresented humidity at all vertical levels. There was an increase in wind speed with height during the first and last events, whereas there were no major changes in the wind speed during the second event. The accuracy of the representation of wind speed by the reanalyses and the model depended on the event. The objective of this paper was to build knowledge from detailed AR case studies, with the purpose of performing long-term analysis. Thus, we adapted a regional AR detection algorithm to the Arctic and analysed how well it identified ARs, we used different datasets (observational, reanalyses, and model) and identified the most suitable dataset, and we analysed the evolution of the ARs and their impacts in terms of precipitation. This study shows the importance of the Atlantic and Siberian pathways of ARs during spring and beginning of summer in the Arctic; the significance of the AR-associated strong heat increase, moisture increase, and precipitation phase transition; and the requirement for high-spatio-temporal-resolution datasets when studying these intense short-duration events.

scholarly journals Vertical profiles of light absorption and scattering associated with black-carbon particle fractions in the springtime Arctic above 79° N

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Richard Leaitch ◽  
John K. Kodros ◽  
Megan D. Willis ◽  
Sarah Hanna ◽  
Hannes Schulz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Optical Properties ◽  
Absorption Coefficient ◽  
Black Carbon ◽  
Light Absorption ◽  
Single Scattering ◽  
Single Scattering Albedo ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Vertical Profiles ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Arctic Atmosphere

Abstract. Despite the potential importance of black carbon (BC) to radiative forcing of the Arctic atmosphere, vertically-resolved measurements of the particle light scattering coefficient (Bsp) and light absorption coefficient (Bap) in the springtime Arctic atmosphere are infrequent, especially measurements at latitudes at or above 80oN. Here, relationships among vertically-distributed aerosol optical properties Bap, Bsp, and single scattering albedo or SSA), particle microphysics and particle chemistry are examined for a region of the Canadian archipelago between 79.9oN and 83.4oN from near the surface to 500 hPa. Airborne data collected during April, 2015, are combined with ground-based observations from the observatory at Alert, Nunavut and simulations from the GEOS-Chem-TOMAS model (Kodros et al., 2018) to increase our knowledge of the effects of BC on light absorption in the Arctic troposphere. The results are constrained for Bsp less than 15 Mm-1, which represent 98% of the observed Bsp, because the single scattering albedo (SSA) has a tendency to be lower at lower Bsp, resulting in a larger relative contribution to Arctic warming. At 18.4 m2 g-1, the average BC mass absorption coefficient (MAC) from the combined airborne and Alert observations is substantially higher than the two averaged modelled MAC values (9.5 m2 g-1 and 7.0 m2 g-1) for two different internal mixing assumptions, the latter of which is based on previous observations. The higher observed MAC value may be explained by an underestimation of BC and possible differences in BC microphysics and morphologies between the observations and model. We present Bap and SSA based on the assumption that Bap is overestimated in the observations in addition to the assumption that the higher MAC is explained. Median values of the measured Bap, rBC and organic component of particles all increase by a factor of 1.8±0.1 going from near-surface to 750 hPa, and values higher than the surface persist to 600 hPa. Modelled BC, organics, and Bap agree with the near-surface measurements, but do not reproduce the higher values observed between 900 hPa and 600 hPa. The differences between modelled and observed optical properties follow the same trend as the differences between the modelled and observed concentrations of the carbonaceous components (black and organic). Some discrepancies in the model may be due to the use of a relatively low imaginary refractive index of BC as well as by the ejection of biomass burning particles only into the boundary layer at sources. For the assumption of the higher observed MAC value, the SSA range between 0.88 and 0.94, which is significantly lower than other recent estimates for the Arctic, in part reflecting the constraint of Bsp <15 Mm-1. The large uncertainties in measuring optical properties and BC as well as the large differences between measured and modelled values, here and in the literature, argue for improved measurements of BC and light absorption by BC as well as more vertical profiles of aerosol chemistry, microphysics, and other optical properties in the Arctic.

scholarly journals The influence of Arctic air masses on climatic conditions of the snow accumulation period in the center of the European territory of Russia

2021 ◽  
pp. 16-25
Author(s):  
Julia Nikolaevna Chizhova
Keyword(s):  
North Atlantic ◽  
Arctic Oscillation ◽  
Winter Precipitation ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Air Masses ◽  
The North ◽  
The Arctic Oscillation ◽  
The North Atlantic Oscillation ◽  
The Relationship

The subject of this article is exmination of the influence of the Arctic air flow on the climatic conditions of the winter period in the center of the European territory of Russia (Moscow). In recent years, the question of the relationship between regional climatic conditions and such global circulation patterns as the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and the Arctic Oscillation (AK) has become increasingly important. Based on the data of long-term observations of temperature and precipitation, the relationship with the AK and NAO was considered. For the winter months of the period 2014-2018, the back trajectories of the movement of air masses were computed for each date of precipitation to identify the sources of precipitation. The amount of winter precipitation that forms the snow cover of Moscow has no connection with either the North Atlantic Oscillation or the Arctic Oscillation. The Moscow region is located at the intersection of the zones of influence of positive and negative phases of both cyclonic patterns (AK and NAO), which determine the weather in the Northern Hemisphere. For the winter months, a correlation between the surface air temperature and NAO (r = 0.72) and AK (r = 0.66) was established. Winter precipitation in the center of the European territory of Russiais mainly associated with the unloading of Atlantic air masses. Arctic air masses relatively rarely invade Moscow region and bring little precipitation (their contribution does not exceed 12% of the total winter precipitation).

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