Identifying fire plumes in the Arctic with tropospheric FTIR measurements and transport models

We investigate Arctic tropospheric composition using ground-based Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) solar absorption spectra, recorded at the Polar Environment Atmospheric Research Laboratory (PEARL, Eureka, Nunavut, Canada, 80°05' N, 86°42' W) and at Thule (Greenland, 76°53' N, −68°7...

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Published in:Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics
Main Authors: Viatte, C., Strong, K., Hannigan, J., Nussbaumer, E., Emmons, L. K., Conway, S., Paton-Walsh, C., Hartley, J., Benmergui, J., Lin, J.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: European Geosciences Union 2015
Subjects:
Online Access:https://authors.library.caltech.edu/56612/
https://authors.library.caltech.edu/56612/1/acp-15-2227-2015.pdf
https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:20150413-144434095
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spelling ftcaltechauth:oai:authors.library.caltech.edu:56612 2023-05-15T14:27:35+02:00 Identifying fire plumes in the Arctic with tropospheric FTIR measurements and transport models Viatte, C. Strong, K. Hannigan, J. Nussbaumer, E. Emmons, L. K. Conway, S. Paton-Walsh, C. Hartley, J. Benmergui, J. Lin, J. 2015-03-02 application/pdf https://authors.library.caltech.edu/56612/ https://authors.library.caltech.edu/56612/1/acp-15-2227-2015.pdf https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:20150413-144434095 en eng European Geosciences Union https://authors.library.caltech.edu/56612/1/acp-15-2227-2015.pdf Viatte, C. and Strong, K. and Hannigan, J. and Nussbaumer, E. and Emmons, L. K. and Conway, S. and Paton-Walsh, C. and Hartley, J. and Benmergui, J. and Lin, J. (2015) Identifying fire plumes in the Arctic with tropospheric FTIR measurements and transport models. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 15 (5). pp. 2227-2246. ISSN 1680-7316. doi:10.5194/acp-15-2227-2015. https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:20150413-144434095 <https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:20150413-144434095> cc_by CC-BY Article PeerReviewed 2015 ftcaltechauth https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-2227-2015 2021-11-11T19:03:46Z We investigate Arctic tropospheric composition using ground-based Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) solar absorption spectra, recorded at the Polar Environment Atmospheric Research Laboratory (PEARL, Eureka, Nunavut, Canada, 80°05' N, 86°42' W) and at Thule (Greenland, 76°53' N, −68°74' W) from 2008 to 2012. The target species, carbon monoxide (CO), hydrogen cyanide (HCN), ethane (C_2H_6), acetylene (C_2H_2), formic acid (HCOOH), and formaldehyde (H_2CO) are emitted by biomass burning and can be transported from mid-latitudes to the Arctic. By detecting simultaneous enhancements of three biomass burning tracers (HCN, CO, and C_2H_6), ten and eight fire events are identified at Eureka and Thule, respectively, within the 5-year FTIR time series. Analyses of Hybrid Single Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) model back-trajectories coupled with Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) fire hotspot data, Stochastic Time-Inverted Lagrangian Transport (STILT) model footprints, and Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) UV aerosol index maps, are used to attribute burning source regions and travel time durations of the plumes. By taking into account the effect of aging of the smoke plumes, measured FTIR enhancement ratios were corrected to obtain emission ratios and equivalent emission factors. The means of emission factors for extratropical forest estimated with the two FTIR data sets are 0.40 ± 0.21 g kg^(−1) for HCN, 1.24 ± 0.71 g kg^(−1) for C_2H_6, 0.34 ± 0.21 g kg^(−1) for C_2H_2, and 2.92 ± 1.30 g kg^(−1) for HCOOH. The emission factor for CH_3OH estimated at Eureka is 3.44 ± 1.68 g kg^(−1). To improve our knowledge concerning the dynamical and chemical processes associated with Arctic pollution from fires, the two sets of FTIR measurements were compared to the Model for OZone And Related chemical Tracers, version 4 (MOZART-4). Seasonal cycles and day-to-day variabilities were compared to assess the ability of the model to reproduce emissions from fires and their transport. Good agreement in winter confirms that transport is well implemented in the model. For C_2H_6, however, the lower wintertime concentration estimated by the model as compared to the FTIR observations highlights an underestimation of its emission. Results show that modeled and measured total columns are correlated (linear correlation coefficient r > 0.6 for all gases except for H_2CO at Eureka and HCOOH at Thule), but suggest a general underestimation of the concentrations in the model for all seven tropospheric species in the high Arctic. Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Arctic Arctic pollution Eureka Greenland Nunavut Thule Caltech Authors (California Institute of Technology) Arctic Canada Eureka ENVELOPE(-85.940,-85.940,79.990,79.990) Greenland Nunavut Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 15 5 2227 2246
institution Open Polar
collection Caltech Authors (California Institute of Technology)
op_collection_id ftcaltechauth
language English
description We investigate Arctic tropospheric composition using ground-based Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) solar absorption spectra, recorded at the Polar Environment Atmospheric Research Laboratory (PEARL, Eureka, Nunavut, Canada, 80°05' N, 86°42' W) and at Thule (Greenland, 76°53' N, −68°74' W) from 2008 to 2012. The target species, carbon monoxide (CO), hydrogen cyanide (HCN), ethane (C_2H_6), acetylene (C_2H_2), formic acid (HCOOH), and formaldehyde (H_2CO) are emitted by biomass burning and can be transported from mid-latitudes to the Arctic. By detecting simultaneous enhancements of three biomass burning tracers (HCN, CO, and C_2H_6), ten and eight fire events are identified at Eureka and Thule, respectively, within the 5-year FTIR time series. Analyses of Hybrid Single Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) model back-trajectories coupled with Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) fire hotspot data, Stochastic Time-Inverted Lagrangian Transport (STILT) model footprints, and Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) UV aerosol index maps, are used to attribute burning source regions and travel time durations of the plumes. By taking into account the effect of aging of the smoke plumes, measured FTIR enhancement ratios were corrected to obtain emission ratios and equivalent emission factors. The means of emission factors for extratropical forest estimated with the two FTIR data sets are 0.40 ± 0.21 g kg^(−1) for HCN, 1.24 ± 0.71 g kg^(−1) for C_2H_6, 0.34 ± 0.21 g kg^(−1) for C_2H_2, and 2.92 ± 1.30 g kg^(−1) for HCOOH. The emission factor for CH_3OH estimated at Eureka is 3.44 ± 1.68 g kg^(−1). To improve our knowledge concerning the dynamical and chemical processes associated with Arctic pollution from fires, the two sets of FTIR measurements were compared to the Model for OZone And Related chemical Tracers, version 4 (MOZART-4). Seasonal cycles and day-to-day variabilities were compared to assess the ability of the model to reproduce emissions from fires and their transport. Good agreement in winter confirms that transport is well implemented in the model. For C_2H_6, however, the lower wintertime concentration estimated by the model as compared to the FTIR observations highlights an underestimation of its emission. Results show that modeled and measured total columns are correlated (linear correlation coefficient r > 0.6 for all gases except for H_2CO at Eureka and HCOOH at Thule), but suggest a general underestimation of the concentrations in the model for all seven tropospheric species in the high Arctic.
format Article in Journal/Newspaper
author Viatte, C.
Strong, K.
Hannigan, J.
Nussbaumer, E.
Emmons, L. K.
Conway, S.
Paton-Walsh, C.
Hartley, J.
Benmergui, J.
Lin, J.
spellingShingle Viatte, C.
Strong, K.
Hannigan, J.
Nussbaumer, E.
Emmons, L. K.
Conway, S.
Paton-Walsh, C.
Hartley, J.
Benmergui, J.
Lin, J.
Identifying fire plumes in the Arctic with tropospheric FTIR measurements and transport models
author_facet Viatte, C.
Strong, K.
Hannigan, J.
Nussbaumer, E.
Emmons, L. K.
Conway, S.
Paton-Walsh, C.
Hartley, J.
Benmergui, J.
Lin, J.
author_sort Viatte, C.
title Identifying fire plumes in the Arctic with tropospheric FTIR measurements and transport models
title_short Identifying fire plumes in the Arctic with tropospheric FTIR measurements and transport models
title_full Identifying fire plumes in the Arctic with tropospheric FTIR measurements and transport models
title_fullStr Identifying fire plumes in the Arctic with tropospheric FTIR measurements and transport models
title_full_unstemmed Identifying fire plumes in the Arctic with tropospheric FTIR measurements and transport models
title_sort identifying fire plumes in the arctic with tropospheric ftir measurements and transport models
publisher European Geosciences Union
publishDate 2015
url https://authors.library.caltech.edu/56612/
https://authors.library.caltech.edu/56612/1/acp-15-2227-2015.pdf
https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:20150413-144434095
long_lat ENVELOPE(-85.940,-85.940,79.990,79.990)
geographic Arctic
Canada
Eureka
Greenland
Nunavut
geographic_facet Arctic
Canada
Eureka
Greenland
Nunavut
genre Arctic
Arctic
Arctic pollution
Eureka
Greenland
Nunavut
Thule
genre_facet Arctic
Arctic
Arctic pollution
Eureka
Greenland
Nunavut
Thule
op_relation https://authors.library.caltech.edu/56612/1/acp-15-2227-2015.pdf
Viatte, C. and Strong, K. and Hannigan, J. and Nussbaumer, E. and Emmons, L. K. and Conway, S. and Paton-Walsh, C. and Hartley, J. and Benmergui, J. and Lin, J. (2015) Identifying fire plumes in the Arctic with tropospheric FTIR measurements and transport models. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 15 (5). pp. 2227-2246. ISSN 1680-7316. doi:10.5194/acp-15-2227-2015. https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:20150413-144434095 <https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:20150413-144434095>
op_rights cc_by
op_rightsnorm CC-BY
op_doi https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-2227-2015
container_title Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics
container_volume 15
container_issue 5
container_start_page 2227
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