Source apportionment of circum-Arctic atmospheric black carbon from isotopes and modeling

Winiger, P.; Barrett, T. E.; Sheesley, Rebecca J.; Huang, Lin; Sharma, Sangeeta; Barrie, Leonard A.; Yttri, Karl Espen; Evangeliou, Nikolaos; Eckhardt, Sabine; Stohl, Andreas; Klimont, Zbigniew; Heyes, C.; Semiletov, I. P.; Dudarev, Oleg; Charkin, Alexander; Shakhova, Natalia; Holmstrand, Henry; Andersson, August; Gustafsson, Örjan

doi:10.1126/sciadv.aau8052

Cited by 82 publications

(103 citation statements)

References 57 publications

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“…An evaluation of three methods for measuring BC at Alert, Canada, indicated that an average of the refractory BC determined with a single-particle soot photometer (SP2) and elemental carbon (EC) determined from filter samples give the best estimate of BC mass . Xu et al (2017) reported that the equivalent BC determined with a PSAP was close to the average of the values for refractory BC and EC at Alert. In this study, we consider that the equivalent BC values determined with a PSAP at Utqiaġvik, Alert, and Zeppelin to be the best estimate.…”

Section: Observationsmentioning

confidence: 61%

“…From January to May at Utqiaġvik and Alert, the mean BC values simulated by FLEXPART v10.1 were 32.2 and 31.2 ng m −3 , respectively, which were 46 % lower than the observations (59.3 and 58.2 ng m −3 , respectively). This is probably related to the inadequate BC emission in the inventory, although seasonal variations in residential heating are included in HTAP2, which would reduce the simulation bias (Xu et al, 2017). Simulations by GEOS-Chem using the same emission inventories also underestimated BC levels at Utqiaġvik and Alert (Ikeda et al, 2017;Xu et al, 2017).…”

Section: Observationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Gas flaring in Russia has been identified as a major (42 %) source of BC at the Arctic surface (Stohl et al, 2013). Xu et al (2017) found that anthropogenic emissions from northern Asia contribute 40 %-45 % of Arctic surface BC in winter and spring. However, the results of some other studies have suggested that Russia, Europe, and southern Asia each contribute 20 %-25 % of BC to the low-altitude springtime Arctic haze (Koch and Hansen, 2005).…”

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confidence: 99%

“…Various models have been used to investigate BC sources in the Arctic. Depending on the simulation method, these models are generally categorized as Lagrangian transport models (Hirdman et al, 2010;Liu et al, 2015;Stohl et al, 2013;Stohl, 2006), chemical transport models (CTMs; Ikeda et al, 2017Ikeda et al, , 2020Qi et al, 2017;Shindell et al, 2008;Wang et al, 2011;Xu et al, 2017), and global climate models (GCMs; Ma et al, 2013;Koch and Hansen, 2005;Schacht et al, 2019;H. Wang et al, 2014) (Table 1).…”

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confidence: 99%

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FLEXPART v10.1 simulation of source contributions to Arctic black carbon

et al. 2020

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The Arctic environment is undergoing rapid changes such as faster warming than the global average and exceptional melting of glaciers in Greenland. Black carbon (BC) particles, which are a short-lived climate pollutant, are one cause of Arctic warming and glacier melting. However, the sources of BC particles are still uncertain. We simulated the potential emission sensitivity of atmospheric BC present over the Arctic (north of 66 • N) using the FLEX-PART (FLEXible PARTicle) Lagrangian transport model (version 10.1). This version includes a new aerosol wet removal scheme, which better represents particle-scavenging processes than older versions did. Arctic BC at the surface (0-500 m) and high altitudes (4750-5250 m) is sensitive to emissions in high latitude (north of 60 • N) and mid-latitude (30-60 • N) regions, respectively. Geospatial sources of Arctic BC were quantified, with a focus on emissions from anthropogenic activities (including domestic biofuel burning) and open biomass burning (including agricultural burning in the open field) in 2010. We found that anthropogenic sources contributed 82 % and 83 % of annual Arctic BC at the surface and high altitudes, respectively. Arctic surface BC comes predominantly from anthropogenic emissions in Russia (56 %), with gas flaring from the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug and Komi Republic being the main source (31 % of Arctic surface BC). These results highlight the need for regulations to control BC emissions from gas flaring to mitigate the rapid changes in the Arctic environment. In summer, combined open biomass burning in Siberia, Alaska, and Canada contributes 56 %-85 % (75 % on average) and 40 %-72 % (57 %) of Arctic BC at the surface and high altitudes, respectively. A large fraction (40 %) of BC in the Arctic at high altitudes comes from anthropogenic emissions in East Asia, which suggests that the rapidly growing economies of developing countries could have a non-negligible effect on the Arctic. To our knowledge, this is the first year-round evaluation of Arctic BC sources that has been performed using the new wet deposition scheme in FLEXPART. The study provides a scientific basis for actions to mitigate the rapidly changing Arctic environment.

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Section: Observationsmentioning

confidence: 61%

Section: Observationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

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FLEXPART v10.1 simulation of source contributions to Arctic black carbon

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“…Sharma et al (2004Sharma et al ( , 2006Sharma et al ( , 2013Sharma et al ( , 2017 observed and investigated the cause of a 50% decline in equivalent black carbon (EBC) at Arctic surface stations since 1990. Recently, black carbon was isotopically apportioned to anthropogenic and biomass burning sources (Winiger et al, 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Factor and Trends Analysis of Multidecadal Lower Tropospheric Observations of Arctic Aerosol Composition, Black Carbon, Ozone, and Mercury at Alert, Canada

et al. 2019

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Observations from 1980 to 2013 of 20 aerosol constituents, ozone and mercury at Alert, Canada (82.50°N, 62.35°W), were analyzed for trends and dominant factors of the Arctic haze during winter and spring. Trends reflect changing emissions in Eurasia, the main source region for surface pollution in the high Arctic. SO42−, H+, NH4+, K+, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn, nonsoil V, nonsoil Mn, and equivalent black carbon decreased between 23% and 80% as emissions declined rapidly in northern Eurasia during the early 1990s. NO3− increased by 20% as aerosol acidity declined. Metals were linked to emissions from smelting and fossil fuel combustion. In winter, ozone increased by 5% over 23 years, consistent with other observations and global modeling. Twelve PMF factors emerged for the dark period (November to February) and 13 for the light period (March to May). Eleven PMF factors are common to both dark and light, a twelfth factor was associated with sulfate in the dark and nitrate in the light, and the thirteenth (light period) was related to ozone and gaseous mercury depletion near Alert. IODINE and NITRATE factors, important for Arctic chemistry, changed with sunlight. In the light, 50% of all NO3− was on the NITRATE factor, while in the dark, most was associated with MODIFIED SEA SALT and equivalent black carbon. In the dark (light), 90% (28%) of iodine were found on the factor IODINE and 58% associated with SEA‐SALT and MODIFIED SEA‐SALT. These results help in understanding the role of atmospheric chemistry in weather and climate processes.

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Changes in Terrestrial Environments

Elias¹

2021

Threats to the Arctic

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Source apportionment of circum-Arctic atmospheric black carbon from isotopes and modeling

Abstract: Isotopes pinpoint strong seasonal variations in black carbon sources with consistent patterns at sites around the Arctic.

Cited by 82 publications

References 57 publications

FLEXPART v10.1 simulation of source contributions to Arctic black carbon

FLEXPART v10.1 simulation of source contributions to Arctic black carbon

A Factor and Trends Analysis of Multidecadal Lower Tropospheric Observations of Arctic Aerosol Composition, Black Carbon, Ozone, and Mercury at Alert, Canada

Changes in Terrestrial Environments

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