Record-breaking stratospheric smoke and record-breaking ozone depletion events in the Arctic and in Antarctica in 2020! Any link between smoke occurrence and ozone depletion?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin Ohneiser ◽  
Albert Ansmann ◽  
Ronny Engelmann ◽  
Boris Barja ◽  
Holger Baars ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ozone Depletion ◽  
Particle Surface ◽  
Chemical Processes ◽  
Ozone Hole ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Aerosol Layer ◽  
Raman Lidar ◽  
Smoke Particles ◽  
Heterogeneous Chemical ◽  
Ozone Profile

<p>The highlight of our multiwavelength polarization Raman lidar measurements during the 1-year MOSAiC (Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate) expedition in the Arctic Ocean ice from October 2019 to May 2020 was the detection of a persistent, 10 km deep aerosol layer in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (UTLS) with clear and unambiguous wild-fire smoke signatures. The smoke is supposed to originate from extraordinarily intense and long-lasting wildfires in central and eastern Siberia in July and August 2019 and may have reached the tropopause layer by the self-lifting process.</p><p>Temporally almost parallelly, record-breaking wildfires accompanied by unprecedentedly strong pyroconvection were raging in the south-eastern part of Australia in late December 2019 and early January 2020. These fires injected huge amounts of biomass-burning smoke into the stratosphere where the smoke particles became distributed over the entire southern hemispheric in the UTLS regime from 10-30 km to even 35 km height. The stratospheric smoke layer was monitored with our Raman lidar in Punta Arenas (53.2°S, 70.9°W, Chile, southern South America) for two years.</p><p>The fact that these two events in both hemispheres coincided with record-breaking ozone hole events in both hemispheres in the respective spring seasons motivated us to discuss a potential impact of the smoke particles on the strong ozone depletion. The discussion is based on the overlapping height ranges of the smoke particles, polar stratospheric clouds, and the ozone hole regions. It is well known that strong ozone reduction is linked to the development of a strong and long-lasting polar vortex, which favours increased PSC formation. In these clouds, active chlorine components are produced via heterogeneous chemical processes on the surface of the PSC particles. Finally, the chlorine species destroy ozone molecules in the spring season. However, there are two pathways to influence ozone depletion by aerosol pollution. The particles can influence the evolution of PSCs and specifically their microphysical properties (number concentration and size distribution), and on the other hand, the particles can be directly involved in heterogeneous chemical processes by increasing the particle surface area available to convert nonreactive chlorine components into reactive forms. A third (indirect) impact of smoke, when well distributed over large parts of the Northern or Southern hemispheres, is via the influence on large-scale atmospheric dynamics.</p><p>We will show our long-term smoke lidar observations in the central Arctic and in Punta Arenas as well as ozone profile measurements during the ozone-depletion seasons. Based on these aerosol and ozone profile data we will discuss the potential interaction between smoke and ozone.</p>

scholarly journals Evaluating the Performance of Ozone Products Derived from CrIS/NOAA20, AIRS/Aqua and ERA5 Reanalysis in the Polar Regions in 2020 Using Ground-Based Observations

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (21) ◽  
pp. 4375
Author(s):  
Hongmei Wang ◽  
Yapeng Wang ◽  
Kun Cai ◽  
Songyan Zhu ◽  
Xinxin Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ozone Depletion ◽  
Ozone Hole ◽  
Detection Sensitivity ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Polar Regions ◽  
Loss Process ◽  
Ozone Loss ◽  
Ozone Profile ◽  
The Antarctic ◽  
Polar Ozone

Quantifying spatiotemporal polar ozone changes can promote our understanding of global stratospheric ozone depletion, polar ozone-related chemical processes, and atmospheric dynamics. By means of ground-level measurements, satellite observations, and re-analyzed meteorology, the global spatial and temporal distribution characteristics of the total column ozone (TCO) and ozone profile can be quantitatively described. In this study, we evaluated the ozone datasets from CrIS/NOAA20, AIRS/Aqua, and ERA5/ECWMF for their performance in polar regions in 2020, along with the in situ observations of the Dobson, Brewer, and ozonesonde instruments, which are regarded as benchmarks. The results showed that the ERA5 reanalysis ozone field had good consistency with the ground observations (R > 0.95) and indicated whether the TCO or ozone profile was less affected by the site location. In contrast, both CrIS and AIRS could capture the ozone loss process resulting from the Antarctic/Arctic ozone hole at a monthly scale, but their ability to characterize the Arctic ozone hole was weaker than in the Antarctic. Specifically, the TCO values derived from AIRS were apparently higher in March 2020 than those of ERA5, which made it difficult to assess the area and depth of the ozone hole during this period. Moreover, the pattern of CrIS TCO was abnormal and tended to deviate from the pattern that characterized ERA5 and AIRS at the Alert site during the Arctic ozone loss process in 2020, which demonstrates that CrIS ozone products have limited applicability at this ground site. Furthermore, the validation of the ozone profile shows that AIRS and CrIS do not have good vertical representation in the polar regions and are not able to characterize the location and depth of ozone depletion. Overall, the results reveal the shortcomings of the ozone profiles derived from AIRS and CrIS observations and the reliability of the ERA5 reanalysis ozone field in polar applications. A more suitable prior method and detection sensitivity improvement on CrIS and AIRS ozone products would improve their reliability and applicability in polar regions.

scholarly journals Compilation of ozonesonde observation over Schirmacher oasis east Antarctic from 1999-2007

MAUSAM ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 64 (4) ◽  
pp. 613-624
Author(s):  
R.P. LAL ◽  
SURESH RAM
Keyword(s):  
Ozone Depletion ◽  
Vertical Profile ◽  
India Meteorological Department ◽  
Ozone Hole ◽  
Profile Measurement ◽  
Yearly Variation ◽  
Vertical Column ◽  
Ozone Profile ◽  
Schirmacher Oasis ◽  
The Mean

Hkkjr ekSle foKku foHkkx }kjk Hkkjrh; bysDVªks&dsfedy vkstksulkSans dh enn ls ,aVkdZfVdk ij Hkkjr ds nwljs LVs'ku eS=h ¼70-7 fMxzh n-] 11-7 fMxzh iw-½ ls vkstksu fLFkfr ¼izksQkby½ dk fu;fer eki fd;k tk jgk gSA ok;qeaMy ds mnxz LraHk esa vkstksu ds ?kuRo dh x.kuk iwjs o"kZ esa fy, x, lkIrkfgd vkstksu lkmfUMax ls dh tkrh gSA ok;qeaMyh; vkstksu dh mnxz fLFkfr ¼izksQkby vkSj vkstksu fNnz ¼gksy½ dh fo'ks"krkvksa dk v/;;u djus ds fy, flracj&vDVwcj ekg ds nkSjku cgqr ckj ifjKfIr;k¡ ¼lkmfUMax½ yh xbZ gSaA bl 'kks/k i= esa lrg ls 10 gsDVk ik- ds chp vkstksu vkSj rkieku ds ekfld ,oa okf"kZd vkSlr esa fofo/krk dh x.kuk ,oa fo'ys"k.k o"kZ 1999 ls 2007 dh vof/k esa fy, vkstksulkSans vkjksg.kksa ls fd;k x;k gSA bl v/;;u ls irk pyk gS fd vkstksu fNnz ds laca/k esa xgu vo{k; vDrwcj esa vkSj vYi ijUrq egRoiw.kZ vo{k; flracj ekg esa gqvk gSA vDrwcj esa yxHkx 250 ,oa 20 gs-ik- ds chp lcls lqLi"V vo{k; gqvk gS ftlesa vf/kdre LFkkuh; vkstksu ds Lrj esa 70 gs-ik- vkSj 10 gs- ik- ds Lrjksa ij vkSj flrEcj esa 70 gs- ik- ij fxjkoV  ns[kh xbZA fHkUu&fHkUu nkc Lrjksa ds fy, vkstksu dk rkieku ds lkFk lglaca/k ls ubZ tkudkfj;ksa vkSj vkstksu ifjorZu esa foLrkj dk irk pyk gSA iwjs o"kZ esa 300 ls 50 gs- ik- ds chp U;wure okf"kZd vkSlr rkieku -55 fMxzh ls -63 fMxzh lsaVhxzsM rd cnyrk gSA vxLr vkSj flrEcj ds eghuksa esa     70 gs- ik- rFkk 100 gs- ik- Lrjksa ij rkieku dk -80 fMxzh lsaVhxzsM ls de gksuk ,oa vDrwcj ekg esa 70 gs- ik- rFkk 100 gs- ik- Lrjksa ij yxHkx -70 fMxzh lsaVhxzsM ls de gksus dh fLFkfr dks vDrwcj ekg esa vkst+ksu vo{k; ds ladsrd ds :i esa ekuk tk ldrk gSA Regular ozone profile measurement over Antarctica has been made by India Meteorological Department over Indian second station Maitri (70.7° S, 11.7° E) with the help of Indian electro-chemical ozonesonde. Ozone density in the vertical column of the atmosphere is computed with weekly ozone soundings taken throughout the year. During the month of September- October more frequent soundings were taken to study vertical profile of atmospheric ozone and features of ozone hole. The mean monthly and yearly variation of ozone and temperature from surface to 10 hPa has been computed and analyzed from the ozonesonde ascents for the period 1999 to 2007. The study has shown profound depletion in October and lesser but substantial depletion in September, in association with the ozone hole. Depletion is most pronounced between about 250 and 20 hPa in October, with maximum local ozone losses near   70 hPa & 100 hPa levels and in September at 70 hPa. Ozone correlations with temperature for several pressure levels have revealed new insights into the causes and extent of ozone change. Lowest annual mean temperature varies from -55 to -63 °C between 300 to 50 hPa in all the year. The temperature less than -80 °C in months of August & September at 70 hPa & 100 hPa levels and about -70 °C in month of October at 70 hPa & 100 hPa levels can be attributed as an indicator of ozone depletion in months of October

scholarly journals The ocean's role in polar climate change: asymmetric Arctic and Antarctic responses to greenhouse gas and ozone forcing

2014 ◽  
Vol 372 (2019) ◽  
pp. 20130040 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Marshall ◽  
Kyle C. Armour ◽  
Jeffery R. Scott ◽  
Yavor Kostov ◽  
Ute Hausmann ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Ocean Circulation ◽  
Ozone Depletion ◽  
Initial Response ◽  
Warming Trend ◽  
Ozone Hole ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Sea Ice Extent ◽  
Cooling Effects

In recent decades, the Arctic has been warming and sea ice disappearing. By contrast, the Southern Ocean around Antarctica has been (mainly) cooling and sea-ice extent growing. We argue here that interhemispheric asymmetries in the mean ocean circulation, with sinking in the northern North Atlantic and upwelling around Antarctica, strongly influence the sea-surface temperature (SST) response to anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) forcing, accelerating warming in the Arctic while delaying it in the Antarctic. Furthermore, while the amplitude of GHG forcing has been similar at the poles, significant ozone depletion only occurs over Antarctica. We suggest that the initial response of SST around Antarctica to ozone depletion is one of cooling and only later adds to the GHG-induced warming trend as upwelling of sub-surface warm water associated with stronger surface westerlies impacts surface properties. We organize our discussion around ‘climate response functions’ (CRFs), i.e. the response of the climate to ‘step’ changes in anthropogenic forcing in which GHG and/or ozone-hole forcing is abruptly turned on and the transient response of the climate revealed and studied. Convolutions of known or postulated GHG and ozone-hole forcing functions with their respective CRFs then yield the transient forced SST response (implied by linear response theory), providing a context for discussion of the differing warming/cooling trends in the Arctic and Antarctic. We speculate that the period through which we are now passing may be one in which the delayed warming of SST associated with GHG forcing around Antarctica is largely cancelled by the cooling effects associated with the ozone hole. By mid-century, however, ozone-hole effects may instead be adding to GHG warming around Antarctica but with diminished amplitude as the ozone hole heals. The Arctic, meanwhile, responding to GHG forcing but in a manner amplified by ocean heat transport, may continue to warm at an accelerating rate.

scholarly journals CALIPSO Aerosol-Typing Scheme Misclassified Stratospheric Fire Smoke: Case Study From the 2019 Siberian Wildfire Season

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Albert Ansmann ◽  
Kevin Ohneiser ◽  
Alexandra Chudnovsky ◽  
Holger Baars ◽  
Ronny Engelmann
Keyword(s):  
Lower Stratosphere ◽  
Sulfate Aerosol ◽  
Identification Algorithm ◽  
Aerosol Layer ◽  
Raman Lidar ◽  
Height Range ◽  
Typing Scheme ◽  
Wildfire Smoke ◽  
Smoke Particles ◽  
Analysis Scheme

In August 2019, a 4-km thick wildfire smoke layer was observed in the lower stratosphere over Leipzig, Germany, with a ground-based multiwavelength Raman lidar. The smoke was identified by the smoke-specific spectral dependence of the extinction-to-backscatter ratio (lidar ratio) measured with the Raman lidar. The spaceborne CALIPSO (Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation) lidar CALIOP (Cloud–Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization) detected the smoke and classified it as sulfate aerosol layer (originating from the Raikoke volcanic eruption). In this article, we discuss the reason for this misclassification. Two major sources for stratospheric air pollution were active in the summer of 2019 and complicated the CALIPSO aerosol typing effort. Besides intense forest fires at mid and high northern latitudes, the Raikoke volcano erupted in the Kuril Islands. We present two cases observed at Leipzig, one from July 2019 and one from August 2019. In July, pure volcanic sulfate aerosol layers were found in the lower stratosphere, while in August, wildfire smoke dominated in the height range up to 4–5 km above the local tropopause. In both cases, the CALIPSO aerosol typing scheme classified the layers as sulfate aerosol layers. The aerosol identification algorithm assumes non-spherical smoke particles in the stratosphere as consequence of fast lifting by pyrocumulonimbus convection. However, we hypothesize (based on presented simulations) that the smoke ascended as a results of self-lifting and reached the tropopause within 2–7 days after emission and finally entered the lower stratosphere as aged spherical smoke particles. These sphercial particles were then classified as liquid sulfate particles by the CALIPSO data analysis scheme. We also present a successful case of smoke identification by the CALIPSO retrieval method.

Lofted aerosol layers over the North Pole during the winter period 2019-2020 measured during MOSAiC 

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin Ohneiser ◽  
Ronny Engelmann ◽  
Albert Ansmann ◽  
Martin Radenz ◽  
Hannes Griesche ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mineral Dust ◽  
Mixed Phase ◽  
North Pole ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Aerosol Layer ◽  
Raman Lidar ◽  
Wildfire Smoke ◽  
The North ◽  
Arctic Haze ◽  
The Impact

<p>The MOSAiC (Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate) expedition, lasting from September 2019 to October 2020, was the largest Arctic research initiative in history. The goal of the expedition was to take the closest look ever at the Arctic as the epicenter of global warming and to gain fundamental insights that are key to better understand global climate change. We continuously operated a multiwavelength aerosol/cloud Raman lidar aboard the icebreaker Polarstern, drifting through the Arctic Ocean trapped in the ice from October to May, and monitored aerosol and cloud layers in the Central Arctic up to 30 km height at latitudes mostly > 85°N. The lidar was integrated in a complex remote sensing infrastructure aboard Polarstern. A polarization Raman lidar is designed to separate the main continental aerosol components (mineral dust, wildfire smoke, anthropogenic haze, volcanic aerosol). Furthermore, the Polarstern lidar enabled us to study the impact of these different basic aerosol types on the evolution of Arctic mixed-phase and ice clouds.  The most impressive and unprecedented observation was the detection of a persistent, 10 km deep aerosol layer of aged wildfire smoke over the North Pole region between 8 and 18 km height from October 2019 until the beginning of May 2020. The wildfire smoke layers originated from severe and huge fires in Siberia, Alaska, and western North America in 2019 and may have contained mineral dust injected into the atmosphere over the hot fire places together with the smoke. We will present the main MOSAiC findings including a study of a long-lasting mixed-phase cloud layer evolving in Arctic haze (at heights below 6 km) and the role of mineral dust in the Arctic haze mixture to trigger heterogeneous ice formation. Furthermore, we present a case study developing in the smoke-dominated layer around 10 km height.</p>

scholarly journals The unexpected smoke layer in the High Arctic winter stratosphere during MOSAiC 2019–2020

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (20) ◽  
pp. 15783-15808
Author(s):  
Kevin Ohneiser ◽  
Albert Ansmann ◽  
Alexandra Chudnovsky ◽  
Ronny Engelmann ◽  
Christoph Ritter ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ozone Depletion ◽  
Winter Season ◽  
High Arctic ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Aerosol Layer ◽  
Volcanic Aerosol ◽  
Wildfire Smoke ◽  
Winter Half ◽  
Smoke Layer ◽  
532 Nm

Abstract. During the 1-year MOSAiC (Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate) expedition, the German icebreaker Polarstern drifted through Arctic Ocean ice from October 2019 to May 2020, mainly at latitudes between 85 and 88.5∘ N. A multiwavelength polarization Raman lidar was operated on board the research vessel and continuously monitored aerosol and cloud layers up to a height of 30 km. During our mission, we expected to observe a thin residual volcanic aerosol layer in the stratosphere, originating from the Raikoke volcanic eruption in June 2019, with an aerosol optical thickness (AOT) of 0.005–0.01 at 500 nm over the North Pole area during the winter season. However, the highlight of our measurements was the detection of a persistent, 10 km deep aerosol layer in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (UTLS), from about 7–8 to 17–18 km height, with clear and unambiguous wildfire smoke signatures up to 12 km and an order of magnitude higher AOT of around 0.1 in the autumn of 2019. Case studies are presented to explain the specific optical fingerprints of aged wildfire smoke in detail. The pronounced aerosol layer was present throughout the winter half-year until the strong polar vortex began to collapse in late April 2020. We hypothesize that the detected smoke originated from extraordinarily intense and long-lasting wildfires in central and eastern Siberia in July and August 2019 and may have reached the tropopause layer by the self-lifting process. In this article, we summarize the main findings of our 7-month smoke observations and characterize the aerosol in terms of geometrical, optical, and microphysical properties. The UTLS AOT at 532 nm ranged from 0.05–0.12 in October–November 2019 and 0.03–0.06 during the main winter season. The Raikoke aerosol fraction was estimated to always be lower than 15 %. We assume that the volcanic aerosol was above the smoke layer (above 13 km height). As an unambiguous sign of the dominance of smoke in the main aerosol layer from 7–13 km height, the particle extinction-to-backscatter ratio (lidar ratio) at 355 nm was found to be much lower than at 532 nm, with mean values of 55 and 85 sr, respectively. The 355–532 nm Ångström exponent of around 0.65 also clearly indicated the presence of smoke aerosol. For the first time, we show a distinct view of the aerosol layering features in the High Arctic from the surface up to 30 km height during the winter half-year. Finally, we provide a vertically resolved view on the late winter and early spring conditions regarding ozone depletion, smoke occurrence, and polar stratospheric cloud formation. The latter will largely stimulate research on a potential impact of the unexpected stratospheric aerosol perturbation on the record-breaking ozone depletion in the Arctic in spring 2020.

scholarly journals One year of Raman lidar observations of free-tropospheric aerosol layers over South Africa

2015 ◽  
Vol 15 (10) ◽  
pp. 5429-5442 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Giannakaki ◽  
A. Pfüller ◽  
K. Korhonen ◽  
T. Mielonen ◽  
L. Laakso ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Optical Properties ◽  
Biomass Burning ◽  
Mean Value ◽  
Aerosol Layer ◽  
Raman Lidar ◽  
Tropospheric Aerosol ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
532 Nm

Abstract. Raman lidar data obtained over a 1 year period has been analysed in relation to aerosol layers in the free troposphere over the Highveld in South Africa. In total, 375 layers were observed above the boundary layer during the period 30 January 2010 to 31 January 2011. The seasonal behaviour of aerosol layer geometrical characteristics, as well as intensive and extensive optical properties were studied. The highest centre heights of free-tropospheric layers were observed during the South African spring (2520 ± 970 m a.g.l., also elsewhere). The geometrical layer depth was found to be maximum during spring, while it did not show any significant difference for the rest of the seasons. The variability of the analysed intensive and extensive optical properties was high during all seasons. Layers were observed at a mean centre height of 2100 ± 1000 m with an average lidar ratio of 67 ± 25 sr (mean value with 1 standard deviation) at 355 nm and a mean extinction-related Ångström exponent of 1.9 ± 0.8 between 355 and 532 nm during the period under study. Except for the intensive biomass burning period from August to October, the lidar ratios and Ångström exponents are within the range of previous observations for urban/industrial aerosols. During Southern Hemispheric spring, the biomass burning activity is clearly reflected in the optical properties of the observed free-tropospheric layers. Specifically, lidar ratios at 355 nm were 89 ± 21, 57 ± 20, 59 ± 22 and 65 ± 23 sr during spring (September–November), summer (December–February), autumn (March–May) and winter (June–August), respectively. The extinction-related Ångström exponents between 355 and 532 nm measured during spring, summer, autumn and winter were 1.8 ± 0.6, 2.4 ± 0.9, 1.8 ± 0.9 and 1.8 ± 0.6, respectively. The mean columnar aerosol optical depth (AOD) obtained from lidar measurements was found to be 0.46 ± 0.35 at 355 nm and 0.25 ± 0.2 at 532 nm. The contribution of free-tropospheric aerosols on the AOD had a wide range of values with a mean contribution of 46%.

Record springtime stratospheric ozone depletion at 80°N in 2020

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ramina Alwarda ◽  
Kristof Bognar ◽  
Kimberly Strong ◽  
Martyn Chipperfield ◽  
Sandip Dhomse ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ozone Depletion ◽  
Transport Model ◽  
Stratospheric Ozone ◽  
Polar Vortex ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Optical Absorption Spectroscopy ◽  
Chemical Transport Model ◽  
Polar Stratospheric Clouds ◽  
Ozone Loss ◽  
Stratospheric Clouds

<p>The Arctic winter of 2019-2020 was characterized by an unusually persistent polar vortex and temperatures in the lower stratosphere that were consistently below the threshold for the formation of polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs). These conditions led to ozone loss that is comparable to the Antarctic ozone hole. Ground-based measurements from a suite of instruments at the Polar Environment Atmospheric Research Laboratory (PEARL) in Eureka, Canada (80.05°N, 86.42°W) were used to investigate chemical ozone depletion. The vortex was located above Eureka longer than in any previous year in the 20-year dataset and lidar measurements provided evidence of polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs) above Eureka. Additionally, UV-visible zenith-sky Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (DOAS) measurements showed record ozone loss in the 20-year dataset, evidence of denitrification along with the slowest increase of NO<sub>2</sub> during spring, as well as enhanced reactive halogen species (OClO and BrO). Complementary measurements of HCl and ClONO<sub>2</sub> (chlorine reservoir species) from a Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometer showed unusually low columns that were comparable to 2011, the previous year with significant chemical ozone depletion. Record low values of HNO<sub>3</sub> in the FTIR dataset are in accordance with the evidence of PSCs and a denitrified atmosphere. Estimates of chemical ozone loss were derived using passive ozone from the SLIMCAT offline chemical transport model to account for dynamical contributions to the stratospheric ozone budget.</p>

Unprecedented Ozone Depletion in the Arctic Stratosphere during Winter–Spring of 2020

2020 ◽  
Vol 495 (2) ◽  
pp. 901-904
Author(s):  
V. V. Zuev ◽  
E. S. Savelieva ◽  
A. V. Pavlinskiy
Keyword(s):  
Ozone Depletion ◽  
The Arctic

scholarly journals Aerosol distribution around Svalbard during intense easterly winds

2010 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 1473-1490 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Dörnbrack ◽  
I. S. Stachlewska ◽  
C. Ritter ◽  
R. Neuber
Keyword(s):  
Sea Salt ◽  
Airborne Lidar ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Aerosol Layer ◽  
Atmospheric Conditions ◽  
Sea Salt Aerosols ◽  
Aerosol Distribution ◽  
Weather Situation ◽  
Low Level Jet ◽  
Aerosol Plume

Abstract. This paper reports on backscatter and depolarization measurements by an airborne lidar in the Arctic during the ASTAR 2004 campaign. A unique weather situation facilitated the observation of the aerosol concentration under strongly forced atmospheric conditions. The vigorous easterly winds distorted the flow past Svalbard in such a way that mesoscale features were visible in the remote-sensing observations: The formation of a well-mixed aerosol layer inside the Adventdalen and the subsequent thinning of the aerosol plume were observed over the Isfjorden. Additionally, mobilization of sea salt aerosols due to a coastal low-level jet at the northern tip of Svalbard resulted in a sloped boundary layer toward north. Mesoscale numerical modelling was applied to identify the sources of the aerosol particles and to explain the observed patterns.

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