Sources and Composition of Organic Aerosols in the Central Arctic during Spring and Summer
Organic aerosols (OA) are a major component of Arctic aerosol mass and influence the region's radiation budget, yet their sources and physicochemical properties remain largely unknown. We investigate OA sources and climate-relevant characteristics over the central Arctic Ocean in spring and summer, by applying positive matrix factorization to aerosol mass spectrometry data from two ship-based expeditions (2018 and 2020), complemented by total and interstitial aerosol measurements during fog periods. Six distinct OA factors were identified: haze-related OA, Arctic oxygenated OA, two mixed-OA types resembling biomass burning and primary marine OA linked to warm-air intrusions, marine OA, and hydrocarbon-related OA. Seasonal transitions strongly shaped OA composition. Following polar sunrise, highly oxygenated OA, likely formed secondarily from photo-oxidized volatile organic compounds, became dominant. After the polar vortex collapsed in May, episodic spikes in marine OA from the marginal ice zone appeared, alongside a reduced influence from Eurasian anthropogenic sources. These transitions influenced OA oxidation state and related properties including volatility, acidity, and hygroscopicity, highlighting the role of the Arctic spring atmosphere as an active photochemical reactor. Overall, OA was highly oxidized, with particles activated in fog during summer showing even greater oxidation, suggesting that central Arctic OA can be highly cloud active.
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)
- Andrê S. H. Prévôt (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9243-8194)
- Gang Chen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1507-4622)
- Tuija Jokinen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1280-1396)
- Lubna Dada (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1105-9043)
- Benjamin Heutte (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7372-7460)
- 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)
- Tuukka Petäjä (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1881-9044)
- Silvia Bucci (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6251-9444)
- Ivo Beck (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9469-3466)
- Imad El Haddad (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2461-7238)
- Paul Zieger (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7000-6879)
- Kaspar R. Daellenbach
- Tiia Laurila
Institutions
- University of Vienna (AT)
- University of Helsinki (FI)
- Cyprus Institute (CY)
- Stockholm University (SE)
- University of Michigan (US)
- Paul Scherrer Institute (CH)
- Research Institute for System Studies (RU)
- National Institute of Meteorology (TN)
- Bolin Centre for Climate Research (SE)
- École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (CH)
- Colorado State University (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Environmental Science & Technology
- Published
- 2025-10-11
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.5c09788
- Primary Topic
- Atmospheric chemistry and aerosols
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00