Drivers controlling black carbon temporal variability in the lower troposphere of the European Arctic ...

Black carbon (BC) is a short-lived climate forcer affecting the Arctic climate through multiple mechanisms, which vary substantially from winter to summer. Several models still fail in reproducing BC seasonal variability, limiting the ability to fully describe BC climate implications. This study aim...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Gilardoni, Stefania, Heslin-Rees, Dominic, Mazzola, Mauro, Vitale, Vito, Sprenger, Michael, Krejci, Radovan
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: ETH Zurich 2023
Subjects:
Online Access:https://dx.doi.org/10.3929/ethz-b-000656457
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11850/656457
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Summary:Black carbon (BC) is a short-lived climate forcer affecting the Arctic climate through multiple mechanisms, which vary substantially from winter to summer. Several models still fail in reproducing BC seasonal variability, limiting the ability to fully describe BC climate implications. This study aims at gaining insights into the mechanisms controlling BC transport from lower latitudes to the Arctic lower troposphere. Here we investigate the drivers controlling black carbon daily and seasonal variability in the Arctic using generalized additive models (GAMs). We analysed equivalent black carbon (eBC) concentrations measured at the Gruvebadet Atmospheric Laboratory (GAL – Svalbard archipelago) from March 2018 to December 2021. The eBC showed a marked seasonality with higher values in winter and early spring. The eBC concentration averaged 22 ± 20 ng m⁻³ in the cold season (November–April) and 11 ± 11 ng m⁻³ in the warm season (May–October). The seasonal and interannual variability was mainly modulated by the ... : Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 23 (24) ...