Recent advances in aerosol optical depth measurements in polar regions: insights from the Polar-AOD Program

Abstract. A multi-year analysis of aerosol optical depth (AOD, τ) and Ångström exponent (α) was conducted using ground-based photometer data from 15 Arctic and 11 Antarctic sites. Extending the dataset of (Tomasi et al., 2015) through December 2024, the study incorporates stellar and lunar photometric observations to fill data gaps during the polar night. Daily mean values of τ at 0.500 µm and α (0.440–0.870 µm) were used to derive monthly means and seasonal histograms. In the Arctic, persistent haze events in winter and early spring lead to peak τ values. A decreasing trend in Arctic τ suggests the impact of European emission regulations, while biomass-burning aerosols are becoming more significant. In Antarctica, τ increases from the plateau to the coast. Fine-mode aerosols dominate in summer-autumn, while coarse-mode particles are more prevalent in winter-spring. Shipborne photometer data align well with ground-based measurements, confirming the reliability of mobile observations. Trend analyses using the Mann-Kendall test and Theil-Sen regression indicate a significant negative trend in τ at Andenes (−2.43 % per year), likely driven by reduced anthropogenic emissions. Antarctic stations such as Syowa and South Pole show positive trends (+3.84 % and +3.54 % per year), though these are subject to uncertainties from data limitations and instrument changes. This work contributes to the Polar-AOD network (https://polaraod.net/, last access: 15 May 2025), enhancing the understanding of aerosol variability and long-term trends in polar regions while promoting open data access for the scientific community.

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Journal
Atmospheric chemistry and physics
Published
2026-02-05
DOI
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-1809-2026
Primary Topic
Atmospheric aerosols and clouds
Type
article
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article

Recent advances in aerosol optical depth measurements in polar regions: insights from the Polar-AOD Program

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Atmospheric chemistry and physics
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Recent advances in aerosol optical depth measurements in polar regions: insights from the Polar-AOD Program

Claudia Frangipani, Pawan Gupta, Ronny Engelmann, M. Radenz, Michel Van Roozendal, Ihab Abboud, Vitali Fioletov, V. Aaltonen, D. M. Kabanov, С. М. Сакерин, P. Sobolewski, Hagen Telg, Sandra Graßl, Anatoli Chaikovsky, Angelo Lupi, Janae Csavina, Christoph Ritter, S. Blindheim, Raúl R. Cordero, A. Hyvärinen, O. R. Sidorova, N. T. O'Neill, Carlos Toledano, Robert S. Stone, Vito Vitale, Lynn Ma, Stelios Kazadzis, Rigel Kivi, Natalia Kouremeti, Kerstin Stebel, Philippe Goloub, Elena Lind, Junji Hisamitsu, Thomas F. Eck, Simone Pulimeno
article en

Abstract

Abstract. A multi-year analysis of aerosol optical depth (AOD, τ) and Ångström exponent (α) was conducted using ground-based photometer data from 15 Arctic and 11 Antarctic sites. Extending the dataset of (Tomasi et al., 2015) through December 2024, the study incorporates stellar and lunar photometric observations to fill data gaps during the polar night. Daily mean values of τ at 0.500 µm and α (0.440–0.870 µm) were used to derive monthly means and seasonal histograms. In the Arctic, persistent haze events in winter and early spring lead to peak τ values. A decreasing trend in Arctic τ suggests the impact of European emission regulations, while biomass-burning aerosols are becoming more significant. In Antarctica, τ increases from the plateau to the coast. Fine-mode aerosols dominate in summer-autumn, while coarse-mode particles are more prevalent in winter-spring. Shipborne photometer data align well with ground-based measurements, confirming the reliability of mobile observations. Trend analyses using the Mann-Kendall test and Theil-Sen regression indicate a significant negative trend in τ at Andenes (−2.43 % per year), likely driven by reduced anthropogenic emissions. Antarctic stations such as Syowa and South Pole show positive trends (+3.84 % and +3.54 % per year), though these are subject to uncertainties from data limitations and instrument changes. This work contributes to the Polar-AOD network (https://polaraod.net/, last access: 15 May 2025), enhancing the understanding of aerosol variability and long-term trends in polar regions while promoting open data access for the scientific community.

Atmospheric chemistry and physicsVol. 26(3)
Universidad de Santiago de Chile (CL), Universidad de Valladolid (ES), Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung (DE), Finnish Meteorological Institute (FI), Goddard Space Flight Center (US), Environment and Climate Change Canada (CA), Université de Sherbrooke (CA), Ca' Foscari University of Venice (IT), National Academy of Sciences of Belarus (BY), University of Groningen (NL), Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy (BE), Brookhaven National Laboratory (US), Université de Lille (FR), Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute (RU), Japan Meteorological Agency (JP), Medisch Centrum Leeuwarden (NL), NOAA Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (US), National Ecological Observatory Network (US), Stenden University of Applied Sciences (NL), Kjeller Innovasjon (Norway) (NO), Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research (DE), Laboratoire d'Optique Atmosphérique (FR), Physikalisch-Meteorologisches Observatorium Davos (CH), Andøya Space Center (NO), Institute of Geophysics Polish Academy of Sciences (PL), National Research Council (IT), V.E. Zuev Institute of Atmospheric Optics (RU)
Life below water
Openalex Percentile: Top 75%
Atmospheric aerosols and clouds
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