Spatial distribution and radiative effects of soot in the snow and sea ice during the SHEBA experiment

Abstract

Soot observations around the periphery of the Arctic Ocean indicate snowpack concentrations ranging from about 1 to more than 200 ng carbon/g snow (ngC/g), with typical values being near 40–50 ngC/g. Values of this magnitude would significantly affect not only the albedo and transmissivity of the ice cover but also surface melt rates and internal heat storage in the ice. During the Surface Heat Budget of the Arctic Ocean (SHEBA) drift, there was concern that soot emitted from the ship could adversely impact the heat and mass balance measurements, producing results that would not be representative of the region as a whole. To investigate this possibility, a series of soot measurements was carried out starting in the spring of 1998 during the time of maximum snowpack thickness. On the upwind side of the ship, where the heat and mass balance program was carried out, soot concentrations averaged over the depth of the snowpack spanned a range from 1 to 7 ngC/g, with average values of 4–5 ngC/g. On the downwind side, concentrations increased to 35 ngC/g and above. Measurements made up to 16 km from the ship yielded average background soot levels of approximately 4.4 ngC/g, with a standard deviation of 2.9 ngC/g evenly distributed throughout the different snow layers. These concentrations were not statistically distinguishable from the values measured in the observing areas on the upwind side of the ship. This indicates that soot concentrations in the central Arctic Basin are substantially lower than those reported for the coastal regions and are not sufficient to produce a significant decrease in the albedo. Although measurements of sea ice samples gave similarly low values, parameter studies show that the snow soot levels could be significant if the summer melt caused all the soot to be concentrated at the ice surface.