Reproducing Arctic springtime tropospheric ozone and mercury depletion events in an outdoor mesocosm sea ice facility
<p>The episodic buildup of gas-phase reactive bromine species over sea ice and snowpack in the springtime Arctic plays an important role in boundary layer processes, causing annual concurrent depletion of ozone and gaseous elemental mercury (GEM) during polar sunrise. Extensive studies have sh...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Copernicus Publications
2022-02-01
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| Series: | Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics |
| Online Access: | https://acp.copernicus.org/articles/22/1811/2022/acp-22-1811-2022.pdf |
| _version_ | 1818896559012577280 |
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| author | Z. Gao N.-X. Geilfus A. Saiz-Lopez F. Wang |
| author_facet | Z. Gao N.-X. Geilfus A. Saiz-Lopez F. Wang |
| author_sort | Z. Gao |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <p>The episodic buildup of gas-phase reactive bromine
species over sea ice and snowpack in the springtime Arctic plays an
important role in boundary layer processes, causing annual concurrent
depletion of ozone and gaseous elemental mercury (GEM) during polar sunrise.
Extensive studies have shown that these phenomena, known as bromine
explosion events (BEEs), ozone depletion events (ODEs), and mercury depletion
events (MDEs) are all triggered by reactive bromine
species that are photochemically activated from bromide via multi-phase
reactions under freezing air temperatures. However, major knowledge gaps
exist in both fundamental cryo-photochemical processes causing these events
and meteorological conditions that may affect their timing and magnitude.
Here, we report an outdoor mesocosm study in which we successfully
reproduced ODEs and MDEs at the Sea-ice Environmental Research Facility
(SERF) in Winnipeg, Canada. By monitoring ozone and GEM concentrations
inside large acrylic tubes over bromide-enriched artificial seawater during
sea ice freeze-and-melt cycles, we observed mid-day photochemical ozone and
GEM loss in winter in the in-tube boundary layer air immediately above the
sea ice surface in a pattern that is characteristic of BEE-induced ODEs and
MDEs in the Arctic. The importance of UV radiation and the presence of a
condensed phase (experimental sea ice or snow) in causing such reactions were
demonstrated by comparing ozone and GEM concentrations between the
UV-transmitting and UV-blocking acrylic tubes under different air
temperatures. The ability of reproducing BEE-induced photochemical phenomena
in a mesocosm in a non-polar region provides a new approach to
systematically studying the cryo-photochemical processes and meteorological
conditions leading to BEEs, ODEs, and MDEs in the Arctic, their role in
biogeochemical cycles across the ocean–sea ice–atmosphere interface, and
their sensitivities to climate change.</p> |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-19T19:02:12Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d9dcfe13481f49b2934c8b7f38074e39 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1680-7316 1680-7324 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-19T19:02:12Z |
| publishDate | 2022-02-01 |
| publisher | Copernicus Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics |
| spelling | doaj.art-d9dcfe13481f49b2934c8b7f38074e392022-12-21T20:09:31ZengCopernicus PublicationsAtmospheric Chemistry and Physics1680-73161680-73242022-02-01221811182410.5194/acp-22-1811-2022Reproducing Arctic springtime tropospheric ozone and mercury depletion events in an outdoor mesocosm sea ice facilityZ. Gao0N.-X. Geilfus1A. Saiz-Lopez2F. Wang3Centre for Earth Observation Science, and Department of Environment and Geography, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2, CanadaCentre for Earth Observation Science, and Department of Environment and Geography, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2, CanadaDepartment of Atmospheric Chemistry and Climate, Institute of Physical Chemistry Rocasolano, CSIC, 28006 Madrid, SpainCentre for Earth Observation Science, and Department of Environment and Geography, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2, Canada<p>The episodic buildup of gas-phase reactive bromine species over sea ice and snowpack in the springtime Arctic plays an important role in boundary layer processes, causing annual concurrent depletion of ozone and gaseous elemental mercury (GEM) during polar sunrise. Extensive studies have shown that these phenomena, known as bromine explosion events (BEEs), ozone depletion events (ODEs), and mercury depletion events (MDEs) are all triggered by reactive bromine species that are photochemically activated from bromide via multi-phase reactions under freezing air temperatures. However, major knowledge gaps exist in both fundamental cryo-photochemical processes causing these events and meteorological conditions that may affect their timing and magnitude. Here, we report an outdoor mesocosm study in which we successfully reproduced ODEs and MDEs at the Sea-ice Environmental Research Facility (SERF) in Winnipeg, Canada. By monitoring ozone and GEM concentrations inside large acrylic tubes over bromide-enriched artificial seawater during sea ice freeze-and-melt cycles, we observed mid-day photochemical ozone and GEM loss in winter in the in-tube boundary layer air immediately above the sea ice surface in a pattern that is characteristic of BEE-induced ODEs and MDEs in the Arctic. The importance of UV radiation and the presence of a condensed phase (experimental sea ice or snow) in causing such reactions were demonstrated by comparing ozone and GEM concentrations between the UV-transmitting and UV-blocking acrylic tubes under different air temperatures. The ability of reproducing BEE-induced photochemical phenomena in a mesocosm in a non-polar region provides a new approach to systematically studying the cryo-photochemical processes and meteorological conditions leading to BEEs, ODEs, and MDEs in the Arctic, their role in biogeochemical cycles across the ocean–sea ice–atmosphere interface, and their sensitivities to climate change.</p>https://acp.copernicus.org/articles/22/1811/2022/acp-22-1811-2022.pdf |
| spellingShingle | Z. Gao N.-X. Geilfus A. Saiz-Lopez F. Wang Reproducing Arctic springtime tropospheric ozone and mercury depletion events in an outdoor mesocosm sea ice facility Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics |
| title | Reproducing Arctic springtime tropospheric ozone and mercury depletion events in an outdoor mesocosm sea ice facility |
| title_full | Reproducing Arctic springtime tropospheric ozone and mercury depletion events in an outdoor mesocosm sea ice facility |
| title_fullStr | Reproducing Arctic springtime tropospheric ozone and mercury depletion events in an outdoor mesocosm sea ice facility |
| title_full_unstemmed | Reproducing Arctic springtime tropospheric ozone and mercury depletion events in an outdoor mesocosm sea ice facility |
| title_short | Reproducing Arctic springtime tropospheric ozone and mercury depletion events in an outdoor mesocosm sea ice facility |
| title_sort | reproducing arctic springtime tropospheric ozone and mercury depletion events in an outdoor mesocosm sea ice facility |
| url | https://acp.copernicus.org/articles/22/1811/2022/acp-22-1811-2022.pdf |
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