Abstract
Abstract. The impacts of black carbon (BC) and particulate matter with aerodynamic diameters less than 2.5 µm (PM2.5) emissions from different source sectors (e.g., transportation, power, industry, residential, and biomass burning) and geographic source regions (e.g., Europe, North America, China, Russia, central Asia, south Asia, and the Middle East) to Arctic BC and PM2.5 concentrations are investigated through a series of annual sensitivity simulations using the Weather Research and Forecasting – sulfur transport and deposition model (WRF-STEM) modeling framework. The simulations are validated using observations at two Arctic sites (Alert and Barrow Atmospheric Baseline Observatory), the Interagency Monitoring of Protected Visual Environments (IMPROVE) surface sites over the US, and aircraft observations over the Arctic during spring and summer 2008. Emissions from power, industrial, and biomass burning sectors are found to be the main contributors to the Arctic PM2.5 surface concentration, with contributions of ∼ 30 %, ∼ 25 %, and ∼ 20 %, respectively. In contrast, the residential and transportation sectors are identified as the major contributors to Arctic BC, with contributions of ∼ 38 % and ∼ 30 %. Anthropogenic emissions are the most dominant contributors (∼ 88 %) to the BC surface concentration over the Arctic annually; however, the contribution from biomass burning is significant over the summer (up to ∼ 50 %). Among all geographical regions, Europe and China have the highest contributions to the BC surface concentrations, with contributions of ∼ 46 % and ∼ 25 %, respectively. Industrial and power emissions had the highest contributions to the Arctic sulfate (SO4) surface concentration, with annual contributions of ∼ 43 % and ∼ 41 %, respectively. Further sensitivity runs show that, among various economic sectors of all geographic regions, European and Chinese residential sectors contribute to ∼ 25 % and ∼ 14 % of the Arctic average surface BC concentration. Emissions from the Chinese industry sector and European power sector contribute ∼ 12 % and ∼ 18 % of the Arctic surface sulfate concentration. For Arctic PM2.5, the anthropogenic emissions contribute > ∼ 75 % at the surface annually, with contributions of ∼ 25 % from Europe and ∼ 20 % from China; however, the contributions of biomass burning emissions are significant in particular during spring and summer. The contributions of each geographical region to the Arctic PM2.5 and BC vary significantly with altitude. The simulations show that the BC from China is transported to the Arctic in the midtroposphere, while BC from European emission sources are transported near the surface under 5 km, especially during winter.
Highlights
Arctic temperature has increased more than the mean global surface air temperature over the past century due to various positive feedbacks and amplification mechanisms such as albedo feedback caused by black carbon (BC) deposition (AMAP, 2011a, b, 2015; Cohen et al, 2012; IPCC, 2013; Screen and Simmonds, 2010)
HTAP v2.2 emission is based on a collection of different regional gridded emissions inventories per sector and per region including that of the European Monitoring and Evaluation Programme (EMEP) and Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO) for Europe, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for the US, the EPA and Environment Canada for Canada, and the Model Intercomparison Study for Asia (MICS-Asia III) for China, India, and other Asian countries (Janssens-Maenhout et al, 2015; Li et al, 2017; Lu et al, 2011)
This study found that residential and transportation sector emissions were the major contributors to the Arctic BC loading on an annual basis, with contributions of ∼ 38 % and ∼ 30 %, respectively, while power, industrial, and biomass burning emissions were the major contributors to the Arctic PM2.5
Summary
Arctic temperature has increased more than the mean global surface air temperature over the past century due to various positive feedbacks and amplification mechanisms such as albedo feedback caused by black carbon (BC) deposition (AMAP, 2011a, b, 2015; Cohen et al, 2012; IPCC, 2013; Screen and Simmonds, 2010). Long-range transport of atmospheric particulate matter (PM) from midlatitudes to the Arctic is the main contributor to the Arctic aerosol load (AMAP, 2011b; Law and Stohl, 2007; Quinn et al, 2007). The so-called Arctic haze phenomenon in the winter–spring period has been attributed to increased levels of transported PM from anthropogenic emission sources at lower latitudes and slower wet deposition removal processes (Barrie et al, 1981; Law and Stohl, 2007; Quinn et al, 2002, 2007)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
