Late summer transition from a free-tropospheric to boundary layer source of Aitken mode aerosol in the high Arctic
<p>In the Arctic, the aerosol budget plays a particular role in determining the behaviour of clouds, which are important for the surface energy balance and thus for the region’s climate. A key question is the extent to which cloud condensation nuclei in the high Arctic summertime boundary laye...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Copernicus Publications
2023-03-01
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| Series: | Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics |
| Online Access: | https://acp.copernicus.org/articles/23/2927/2023/acp-23-2927-2023.pdf |
| _version_ | 1811159320583208960 |
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| author | R. Price A. Baccarini A. Baccarini J. Schmale P. Zieger P. Zieger I. M. Brooks P. Field P. Field K. S. Carslaw |
| author_facet | R. Price A. Baccarini A. Baccarini J. Schmale P. Zieger P. Zieger I. M. Brooks P. Field P. Field K. S. Carslaw |
| author_sort | R. Price |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <p>In the Arctic, the aerosol budget plays a particular role in determining the behaviour of clouds, which are important for the surface energy balance and thus for the region’s climate. A key question is the extent to which cloud condensation nuclei in the high Arctic summertime boundary layer are controlled by local emission and formation processes as opposed to transport from outside. Each of these sources is likely to respond differently to future changes in ice cover. Here we use a global model and observations from ship and aircraft field campaigns to understand the source of high Arctic aerosol in late summer. We find that particles formed remotely, i.e. at latitudes outside the Arctic, are the dominant source of boundary layer Aitken mode particles during the sea ice melt period up to the end of August. Particles from such remote sources, entrained into the boundary layer from the free troposphere, account for nucleation and Aitken mode particle concentrations that are otherwise underestimated by the model. This source from outside the high Arctic declines as photochemical rates decrease towards the end of summer and is largely replaced by local new particle formation driven by iodic acid created during freeze-up. Such a local source increases the simulated Aitken mode particle concentrations by 2 orders of magnitude during sea ice freeze-up and is consistent with strong fluctuations in nucleation mode concentrations that occur in September. Our results suggest a high-Arctic aerosol regime shift in late summer, and only after this shift do cloud condensation nuclei become sensitive to local aerosol processes.</p> |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T05:40:09Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-99daffc4271b4672a4c35bd2c6d93cb5 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1680-7316 1680-7324 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T05:40:09Z |
| publishDate | 2023-03-01 |
| publisher | Copernicus Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics |
| spelling | doaj.art-99daffc4271b4672a4c35bd2c6d93cb52023-03-06T11:59:15ZengCopernicus PublicationsAtmospheric Chemistry and Physics1680-73161680-73242023-03-01232927296110.5194/acp-23-2927-2023Late summer transition from a free-tropospheric to boundary layer source of Aitken mode aerosol in the high ArcticR. Price0A. Baccarini1A. Baccarini2J. Schmale3P. Zieger4P. Zieger5I. M. Brooks6P. Field7P. Field8K. S. Carslaw9School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds, UKExtreme Environments Research Laboratory, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Sion, Switzerlandnow at: Laboratory of Atmospheric Processes and their Impacts, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, SwitzerlandExtreme Environments Research Laboratory, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Sion, SwitzerlandDepartment of Environmental Science, Stockholm University, Stockholm, SwedenBolin Centre for Climate Research, Stockholm University, Stockholm, SwedenSchool of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds, UKSchool of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds, UKMet Office, Exeter, UKSchool of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK<p>In the Arctic, the aerosol budget plays a particular role in determining the behaviour of clouds, which are important for the surface energy balance and thus for the region’s climate. A key question is the extent to which cloud condensation nuclei in the high Arctic summertime boundary layer are controlled by local emission and formation processes as opposed to transport from outside. Each of these sources is likely to respond differently to future changes in ice cover. Here we use a global model and observations from ship and aircraft field campaigns to understand the source of high Arctic aerosol in late summer. We find that particles formed remotely, i.e. at latitudes outside the Arctic, are the dominant source of boundary layer Aitken mode particles during the sea ice melt period up to the end of August. Particles from such remote sources, entrained into the boundary layer from the free troposphere, account for nucleation and Aitken mode particle concentrations that are otherwise underestimated by the model. This source from outside the high Arctic declines as photochemical rates decrease towards the end of summer and is largely replaced by local new particle formation driven by iodic acid created during freeze-up. Such a local source increases the simulated Aitken mode particle concentrations by 2 orders of magnitude during sea ice freeze-up and is consistent with strong fluctuations in nucleation mode concentrations that occur in September. Our results suggest a high-Arctic aerosol regime shift in late summer, and only after this shift do cloud condensation nuclei become sensitive to local aerosol processes.</p>https://acp.copernicus.org/articles/23/2927/2023/acp-23-2927-2023.pdf |
| spellingShingle | R. Price A. Baccarini A. Baccarini J. Schmale P. Zieger P. Zieger I. M. Brooks P. Field P. Field K. S. Carslaw Late summer transition from a free-tropospheric to boundary layer source of Aitken mode aerosol in the high Arctic Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics |
| title | Late summer transition from a free-tropospheric to boundary layer source of Aitken mode aerosol in the high Arctic |
| title_full | Late summer transition from a free-tropospheric to boundary layer source of Aitken mode aerosol in the high Arctic |
| title_fullStr | Late summer transition from a free-tropospheric to boundary layer source of Aitken mode aerosol in the high Arctic |
| title_full_unstemmed | Late summer transition from a free-tropospheric to boundary layer source of Aitken mode aerosol in the high Arctic |
| title_short | Late summer transition from a free-tropospheric to boundary layer source of Aitken mode aerosol in the high Arctic |
| title_sort | late summer transition from a free tropospheric to boundary layer source of aitken mode aerosol in the high arctic |
| url | https://acp.copernicus.org/articles/23/2927/2023/acp-23-2927-2023.pdf |
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