Characterizing Potential Radiative Forcing on the North Slope of Alaska Field Campaign Report

• Main Authors: Sheesley, Rebecca J, Moffett, Claire E
• Language: unknown
• Published: 2018
• Subjects: Barrow; north slope; Alaska
• Online Access: http://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1432497; https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1432497

The goal of the campaign was to quantify black carbon (BC) and brown carbon (BrC) and their contributions to absorption for two coastal sites on the North Slope of Alaska (NSA). This field campaign was intended to expand on PI Sheesley’s successful 2012-2013 U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Climate Research Facility campaign, the Barrow Black Carbon Source and Impact Study field campaign. The two sites selected for this campaign were the Barrow, Alaska (now known as Utqiagvik) observatory and the ARM Mobile Facility at Oliktok Point. The purpose of having two sites was to better assess regional extent and impacts of regional and long-range sources on NSA BC and BrC, and allow a more comprehensive determination of regional aerosol absorption coefficients and regional hygroscopicity and regional aerosol optical depth (AOD) and absorption AOD (AAOD). AOD is a parameter used for determining atmospheric aerosol loading since AOD data from a sun photometer is highly accurate. AAOD provides information to determine the absorption component of aerosol radiative forcing for the total air column, including aerosol at both the surface and aloft.