A local marine source of atmospheric particles in the High Arctic

• Published in: Atmospheric Environment
• Main Authors: Nøjgaard, J. K., Peker, L., Pernov, J. B., Johnson, M. S., Bossi, R., Massling, A., Lange, R., Nielsen, I. E., Prevot, A. S.H., Eriksson, A. C., Canonaco, F., Skov, H.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 2022
• Subjects: Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences; ACSM; Aerosol; Aerosol mass spectrometry; Arctic; PMF; Aitken; Baffin Bay; Barents Sea; Canadian Arctic Archipelago; Greenland; Moa; Station Nord; Arctic Archipelago; Baffin; Greenland Sea; Lincoln Sea; North Greenland; Sea ice
• Online Access: https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/5142d7ea-3b37-4aa1-86c6-affc79d228b1; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2022.119241

The chemical composition of non-refractory submicron aerosol (NR-PM1) was characterized at the Villum Research Station (Villum) at Station Nord in North Greenland during spring-summer 2016 using a Time of Flight Aerosol Chemical Speciation Monitor (ToF-ACSM). The composition is dominated by sulfate (48%) and organic species (40%). Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) identified three key factors corresponding to a primary hydrocarbon-like organic aerosol (HOA), and two types of secondary organic aerosol: oxygenated organic aerosol (OOA) and a marine organic aerosol (MOA). The HOA factor accounts for 5% of the organic aerosol mass, which is consistent with previous findings at Villum. The OOA factor accounts for 77% of the organic aerosol mass and correlates with accumulation mode particles, which supports previous findings indicating that oxidized organic aerosols are predominantly from long-range transport during winter and spring at Villum. The MOA factor was characterized by mass spectral fragments of methane sulfonic acid (MSA) from atmospheric oxidation of dimethyl sulfide, for which reason the MOA factor is considered to be of biogenic origin. MOA accounts for 18% of the organic aerosol mass and correlates with locally produced Aitken mode particles. This indicates that biogenic processes are not only a significant source of aerosols at Villum, but MOA also appears to be formed in the vicinity of the measurement site. This local geographical origin was confirmed through air mass back trajectory modelling and source-receptor analysis. During May, air masses frequently arrived from the east, with source regions for the MOA factor and therewith MSA located in the Barents Sea and Lincoln Sea with lesser contributions from the Greenland Sea. During June, air mass origin shifted to the west, with source regions for the MOA factor and MSA shifting correspondingly to Baffin Bay and the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. While shifting transport patterns between May and June lead to shifting source regions, sea ice likely ...