Understanding sources and drivers of size-resolved aerosol in the High Arctic islands of Svalbard using a receptor model coupled with machine learning

Atmospheric aerosols are important drivers of Arctic climate change through aerosol–cloud–climate interactions. However, large uncertainties remain on the sources and processes controlling particle numbers in both fine and coarse modes. Here, we applied a receptor model and an explainable machine le...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environmental Science & Technology
Main Authors: Song, Congbo, Becagli, Silvia, Beddows, David C. S., Brean, James, Browse, Jo, Dai, Qili, Dall'Osto, Manuel, Ferracci, Valerio, Harrison, Roy M., Harris, Neil, Li, Weijun, Jones, Anna E., Kirchgäßner, Amelie, Kramawijaya, Agung Ghani, Kurganskiy, Alexander, Lupi, Angelo, Mazzola, Mauro, Severi, Mirko, Traversi, Rita, Shi, Zongbo
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: American Chemical Society 2022
Subjects:
Arctic
source apportionment
positive matrix factorization
machine learning
particle number concentration
meteorology
Svalbard
Climate change
Sea ice
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.1c07796
https://dspace.lib.cranfield.ac.uk/handle/1826/18310
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Summary:Atmospheric aerosols are important drivers of Arctic climate change through aerosol–cloud–climate interactions. However, large uncertainties remain on the sources and processes controlling particle numbers in both fine and coarse modes. Here, we applied a receptor model and an explainable machine learning technique to understand the sources and drivers of particle numbers from 10 nm to 20 μm in Svalbard. Nucleation, biogenic, secondary, anthropogenic, mineral dust, sea salt and blowing snow aerosols and their major environmental drivers were identified. Our results show that the monthly variations in particles are highly size/source dependent and regulated by meteorology. Secondary and nucleation aerosols are the largest contributors to potential cloud condensation nuclei (CCN, particle number with a diameter larger than 40 nm as a proxy) in the Arctic. Nonlinear responses to temperature were found for biogenic, local dust particles and potential CCN, highlighting the importance of melting sea ice and snow. These results indicate that the aerosol factors will respond to rapid Arctic warming differently and in a nonlinear fashion. Natural Environment Research Council (NERC): NE/S00579X/1

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