Characteristics and effects of aerosols during blowing snow events in the central Arctic
Sea salt aerosol (SSaer) significantly impacts aerosol-radiation and aerosol-cloud interactions, and sublimated blowing snow is hypothesized to be an important SSaer source in polar regions. Understanding blowing snow and other wind-sourced aerosols’ climate relevant properties is needed, especially during winter when Arctic amplification is greatest. However, most of our understanding of blowing snow SSaer comes from modeling studies, and direct observations are sparse. Additionally, SSaer can originate from multiple sources, making it difficult to disentangle emission processes. Here, we present comprehensive observations of wind-sourced aerosol during blowing snow events from the Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC) expedition in the central Arctic. High wind speed strongly enhances total aerosol number, submicron sodium chloride mass, cloud condensation nuclei concentrations, and scattering coefficients. Generally, the relative response of aerosol properties to wind speed enhancement is strongest in fall when Arctic aerosol concentrations are lowest. Blowing snow events showed similar aerosol and environmental properties across events, apart from occasions with high snow age (>6 days since last snowfall). Coarse-mode number concentrations (>1 μm) are better explained by variability in wind speed averaged over 12-h air mass back trajectories arriving at the MOSAiC site compared to local, instantaneous wind speed, suggesting the importance of regional transport and consideration of air mass history for wind-driven aerosol production. These MOSAiC observations provide new insights into wind-driven aerosol in the central Arctic and may help validate modeling studies and improve model parameterizations particularly for aerosol direct and indirect radiative forcing.
Authors
- Markku Kulmala (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3464-7825)
- Hélène Angot (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4673-8249)
- Jessie M. Creamean (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3819-5600)
- M. M. Frey (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0535-0416)
- Amy R. Macfarlane (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1638-8885)
- S. R. Arnold (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4881-5685)
- Ronny Engelmann (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4225-9961)
- Tamora D. James (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1363-4742)
- Martin Schneebeli (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2872-4409)
- Jessica A. Mirrielees (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2678-3720)
- Tuija Jokinen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1280-1396)
- Benjamin Heutte (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7372-7460)
- Silvia Henning (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9267-7825)
- Jian Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2815-4170)
- Julia Schmale (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1048-7962)
- Lauriane L. J. Quéléver (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8970-3594)
- Nora Bergner (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5000-5120)
- Kerri A. Pratt (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4707-2290)
- Jakob Pernov (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1906-2589)
- Sergey Y. Matrosov (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4816-1375)
- Tuukka Petäjä (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1881-9044)
- Xianda Gong (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7274-0639)
- Michael Lonardi
- Gina Jozef
- Ivo Beck (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9469-3466)
- Janek Uin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2001-0508)
- Matthew Boyer
- Tiia Laurila
Institutions
- Institut polytechnique de Grenoble (FR)
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR)
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (US)
- University of Leeds (GB)
- British Antarctic Survey (GB)
- University of Helsinki (FI)
- Natural Environment Research Council (GB)
- Cyprus Institute (CY)
- Queensland University of Technology (AU)
- Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (US)
- University of Colorado Boulder (US)
- Brookhaven National Laboratory (US)
- Washington University in St. Louis (US)
- University of Michigan (US)
- Westlake University (CN)
- Northumbria University (GB)
- Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation et l'Environnement (FR)
- Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research (DE)
- Institut des Géosciences de l'Environnement (FR)
- NOAA Physical Sciences Laboratory (US)
- Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (FR)
- École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (CH)
- UiT The Arctic University of Norway (NO)
- Université Grenoble Alpes (FR)
- Colorado State University (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Elementa Science of the Anthropocene
- Published
- 2025-01-01
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1525/elementa.2024.00047
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Atmospheric chemistry and aerosols
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 1.30
Funders
- National Science Foundation
- U.S. Department of Energy
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- WSL-Institut für Schnee- und Lawinenforschung SLF
- Westlake University
- University of Leeds
- European Commission
- Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung
- Nuclear Safety and Security Commission
- Paul Scherrer Institut
- Environment and Climate Change Canada
- Stockholms Universitet
- Swiss Polar Institute
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
- Office of Science
- Plan Nacional sobre Drogas
- Natural Environment Research Council
- Leibniz-Gemeinschaft
- Biological and Environmental Research
- Leibniz-Institut für Troposphärenforschung