Abstract
Abstract. The Arctic is warming at an alarming rate, yet the processes that contribute to the enhanced warming are not well understood. Arctic aerosols have been targeted in studies for decades due to their consequential impacts on the energy budget, both directly and indirectly through their ability to modulate cloud microphysics. Even with the breadth of knowledge afforded from these previous studies, aerosols and their effects remain poorly quantified, especially in the rapidly changing Arctic. Additionally, many previous studies involved use of ground-based measurements, and due to the frequent stratified nature of the Arctic atmosphere, brings into question the representativeness of these datasets aloft. Here, we report on airborne observations from the US Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) program's Fifth Airborne Carbon Measurements (ACME-V) field campaign along the North Slope of Alaska during the summer of 2015. Contrary to previous evidence that the Alaskan Arctic summertime air is relatively pristine, we show how local oil extraction activities, 2015's central Alaskan wildfires, and, to a lesser extent, long-range transport introduce aerosols and trace gases higher in concentration than previously reported in Arctic haze measurements to the North Slope. Although these sources were either episodic or localized, they serve as abundant aerosol sources that have the potential to impact a larger spatial scale after emission.
Highlights
The Arctic is warming rapidly compared to other locations globally, which has implications for anomalous snow and ice melt (Jeffries et al, 2013)
Alaska, features an observatory established by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Earth System Research Laboratory’s (ESRL) Global Monitoring Division (GMD) in 1976
In addition to Utqiagvik, another northern Alaskan facility was recently established by the US Department of Energy (DOE) Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM; since 2013) program at Oliktok Point
Summary
The Arctic is warming rapidly compared to other locations globally, which has implications for anomalous snow and ice melt (Jeffries et al, 2013). Alaska (formally Barrow), features an observatory established by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Earth System Research Laboratory’s (ESRL) Global Monitoring Division (GMD) in 1976 Previous work at this facility involves different combinations of the long-term, ground-based aerosol optical, physical, and chemical property measurements to evaluate the annual cycle of aerosol sources at Utqiagvik (e.g., Polissar et al, 2001; Delene and Ogren, 2002; Quinn et al, 2002, 2009). In addition to Utqiagvik, another northern Alaskan facility was recently established by the US Department of Energy (DOE) Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM; since 2013) program at Oliktok Point (https://dis.arm.gov/sites/amf/oli/) This site is located in the northwest region of oil extraction activities in Prudhoe Bay, making it an ideal location to determine the potential impacts of emissions from such activities on the relatively pristine Arctic atmosphere. We present aerosol and trace gas observations from ARM’s Fifth Airborne Carbon Measurements (ACME-V) field campaign to evaluate local sources during the summer of 2015 in the Alaskan Arctic
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
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.
