The Arctic Haze Phenomenon

Shaw, Glenn E.

doi:10.1175/1520-0477(1995)076<2403:tahp>2.0.co;2

Cited by 378 publications

(321 citation statements)

References 48 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

303

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…During April 2009 the atmosphere over the European and North American Arctic was variably hazy, with transport mainly from Eurasia [Stone et al, 2010]. Conditions were favorable for the transport of Arctic haze, as has been documented in the literature [e.g., Shaw, 1995]. During both campaigns, black carbon was observed at all altitudes sampled but at relatively low concentrations compared with historical values.…”

Section: Preliminary Resultssupporting

confidence: 61%

Regular airborne surveys of Arctic sea ice and atmosphere

Herber¹,

Haas²,

Stone³

et al. 2012

EoS Transactions

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The Arctic is undergoing rapid environmental change, manifested most dramatically by reductions in sea ice extent and thickness. The changes are attributed to anthropogenic effects related to greenhouse warming, with secondary contributions from changing ocean and wind currents as well as from pollutants, especially “absorbing” black carbon. The warmer Arctic air temperatures and new patterns of wind and ocean circulation have also contributed to a younger ice cover [Maslanik et al., 2011]. Specific factors that determine the temporal distribution of sea ice are poorly understood because few observations of key variables have been made in the central Arctic. For example, the planetary boundary layer (PBL), the lowest part of the atmosphere governed by interaction with Earth's surface, plays a critical role involving the exchange of momentum, heat, water vapor, trace gases, and aerosol particles. Satellites can provide limited observations of sea ice properties, but so far, accurate measurements of ice thickness or boundary layer properties have not been easily obtained. Although satellite retrievals of geophysical variables might be an essential source of information, their reliability remains questionable owing to inadequate spatial and/or temporal resolution and to a need for further validation.

show abstract

Section: Preliminary Resultssupporting

confidence: 61%

Regular airborne surveys of Arctic sea ice and atmosphere

Herber¹,

Haas²,

Stone³

et al. 2012

EoS Transactions

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Bigg, 1980). During late winter and spring, large concentrations of anthropogenic aerosols are transported to the Arctic from the mid-latitudes (Barrie et al, 1989;Shaw, 1995). This phenomenon is referred to as Arctic haze.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment of the dehydration‐greenhouse feedback over the Arctic during February 1990

Girard

Stefanof

2006

Intl Journal of Climatology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract:The effect of pollution-derived sulfuric acid aerosols on the aerosol-cloud-radiation interactions is investigated over the Arctic for February 1990. Observations suggest that acidic aerosols can decrease the heterogeneous nucleation rate of ice crystals and lower the homogeneous freezing temperature of haze droplets. On the basis of these observations, we hypothesize that the cloud thermodynamic phase is modified in polluted air mass (Arctic haze). Cloud ice number concentration is reduced, thus promoting further ice crystal growth by the Bergeron-Findeisen process. Hence, ice crystals reach larger sizes and low-levkel ice crystal precipitation from mixed-phase clouds increases. Enhanced dehydration of the lower troposphere contributes to decreased water vapour greenhouse effect and cools the surface. A positive feedback is created between surface cooling and air dehydration, accelerating cold air production. This process is referred to as the dehydration-greenhouse feedback (DGF).Simulations performed using an Arctic regional climate model for February 1990 are used to assess the potential effect of the DGF on the Arctic climate during February. Results show that the DGF has an important effect on cloud, atmospheric dehydration, and temperature over the Central and Eurasian Arctic, which is the coldest part of the Arctic. Cloud ice is significantly reduced and the total atmospheric water path is decreased by as much as 12%. This results in a surface cooling ranging between 0 and −3 K. Moreover, the lower tropospheric cooling over the Eurasian and Central Arctic strengthens the atmospheric circulation at the upper level, thus increasing the aerosol transport from the mid-latitudes and enhancing the DGF. Over warmer areas, the increased aerosol concentration (caused by the DGF) leads to longer cloud lifetime, which contributes to warm these areas.

show abstract

“…While the aerosol concentration in the Antarctic is still very low [e.g., Herbet, 1993; Radionov et al, 1995], aerosols in the Arctic region can occur in high concentrations which can perturb the radiation balance there. This phenomenon of high aerosol concentration during spring time is known as "Arctic haze" [Shaw, 1995]. Antarctic aerosols show more or less a cooling effect in the radiation budget [Shaw, 1988] of the atmosphere, whereas aerosols in the Arctic, especially from anthropogenic sources, can result in a warming [Heintzenberg, 1984].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%