Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: 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: Benjamin Heutte, Hélène Angot, Gang I. Chen, Jakob B. Pernov, Imad El Haddad, Lubna Dada, Kaspar R. Daellenbach, Ivo Beck, Nora Bergner, Silvia Bucci, Jessie M. Creamean, Markku Kulmala, Tiia Laurila, Tuukka Petäjä, Kerri A. Pratt, André S.
H. Prévôt, Lauriane L. J. Quéléver, Paul Zieger, Tuija Jokinen, Julia Schmale
Language: English
Subfield: Atmospheric Science
Field: Earth and Planetary Sciences
Domain: Physical Sciences
SDG: Climate action
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $4,500
Funders: Swiss Data Science Center, National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Energy, Helsingin Yliopisto, Polarforskningssekretariatet, European Commission, Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung, Academy of Finland, BNP Paribas Cardif, Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Knut och Alice Wallenbergs Stiftelse, Paul Scherrer Institut, Vetenskapsrådet, Stockholms Universitet, Swiss Polar Institute, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Horizon 2020 Framework Programme, Natural Environment Research Council, Ferring Research Institute, Bolincentret för klimatforskning, Stockholms Universitet
Awards: G1277680300, G1335008682, Polycrystalline scintillators, G2208460037, G2506200949, G2754757933, CLOSING THE GAP ON UNDERSTUDIED AEROSOL-CLIMATE PROCESSES IN THE RAPIDLY CHANGING CENTRAL ARCTIC, MOCCHA Analysis of Dynamic, Cloud, and Aerosol Processes, G3202082471, Molecular understanding on the aerosol formation in the high Arctic, Natural Atmospheric new particle formation (NAPF), G6678942217, Biogenic particles and their role in the formation of Arctic clouds, Measurement-Based understanding of the aeRosol budget in the Arctic and its Climate Effects, G712881263, G7198630863, Quantifying the source of cloud condensation and ice nuclei from open leads in the high Arctic, ENHANCED ATMOSPHERIC RESEARCH AT THE MULTIDISCIPLINARY DRIFTING OBSERVATORY FOR THE STUDY OF ARCTIC CLIMATE (MOSAIC), The life cycle of clouds in the high Arctic summer with linkages to the microbiological life in ocean and ice, Atmosphere and Climate Competence Center (ACCC), G8520247653, Atmosphere and Climate Competence Center (ACCC), G906855578, G993971353
OpenAlex ID: W4415077818