Field study on the diffusion and advection effects of vehicle-emitted soot aerosols on snow albedo in the Chilean Andes

Abstract

Emissions from road traffic are one of the most important sources of soot aerosols and they can affect the surfaces in the area. In the case of snow surfaces, this effect may lead to changes in the radiative forcing and snow melt, also influenced by particle transport such as particle diffusion and advection. An experimental campaign in The Andes, Chile, was carried out measuring the radiance and irradiance of the snow perpendicularly to a road with high traffic load, together with the meteorological conditions (to identify the diffusion and advection phenomena), the aerosol size distribution, the concentration of particles (PM1, PM2.5 and PM10), and the concentration of black carbon (BC) in both, the atmosphere and the snowpack. The aim of the study was to quantify the contribution of four factors affecting the albedo (black carbon -BC- concentration in snow, grain size, cloudiness, and roughness) by comparing the measured albedo of the contaminated snow surface with that of the same surface prior to contamination, considered as a reference. Results showed a trade-off between diffusion and advection. Close to the road, diffusion was predominant, leading to an increase in BC concentration and a reduction in snow albedo. On the contrary, far from the road, where winds are channeled along the centre of the valley, advection of particles became dominant, leading to another increase in particle concentration and another reduction in snow albedo. Among the factors contributing to reduce the snow albedo, BC concentration dominates at all distances from the road, although the effect of the grain size becomes as significant as that of BC in the centre of the valley, with the effects of surface roughness and cloudiness remaining minor. This information can be used in snow models to get a better knowledge of the effect of particle deposition on albedo reductions.