Multi-year black carbon observations and modeling close to the largest gas flaring and wildfire regions in the Western Siberian Arctic
<p>The influence of aerosols on the Arctic system remains associated with significant uncertainties, particularly concerning black carbon (BC). The polar aerosol station “Island Bely” (IBS), located in the Western Siberian Arctic, was established to enhance aerosol monitoring. Continuous measu...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Copernicus Publications
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics |
| Online Access: | https://acp.copernicus.org/articles/25/7719/2025/acp-25-7719-2025.pdf |
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| Summary: | <p>The influence of aerosols on the Arctic system remains associated with significant uncertainties, particularly concerning black carbon (BC). The polar aerosol station “Island Bely” (IBS), located in the Western Siberian Arctic, was established to enhance aerosol monitoring. Continuous measurements from 2019 to 2022 revealed the long-term effects of light-absorbing carbon. During the cold period, the annual average light-absorption coefficient was 0.7 <span class="inline-formula">±</span> 0.7 Mm<span class="inline-formula"><sup>−1</sup></span>, decreasing by 2–3 times during the warm period. The interannual mean showed a peak in February (0.9 <span class="inline-formula">±</span> 0.8 Mm<span class="inline-formula"><sup>−1</sup></span>) then 10 times the lower minimum in June and exhibited high variability in August (0.7 <span class="inline-formula">±</span> 2.2 Mm<span class="inline-formula"><sup>−1</sup></span>). An increase of up to 1.5 at shorter wavelengths from April to September suggests contribution from brown carbon (BrC). The annual mean equivalent black carbon (eBC) demonstrated considerable interannual variability, with the lowest in 2020 (24 <span class="inline-formula">±</span> 29 ng m<span class="inline-formula"><sup>−3</sup></span>). Significant difference was observed between Arctic haze and Siberian wildfire periods, with record-high pollution levels in February 2022 (110 <span class="inline-formula">±</span> 70 ng m<span class="inline-formula"><sup>−3</sup></span>) and August 2021 (83 <span class="inline-formula">±</span> 249 ng m<span class="inline-formula"><sup>−3</sup></span>). Anthropogenic BC contributed 83 % to the total for the entire study period, and gas flaring, domestic combustion, transportation, and industrial emissions dominated. During the cold season, <span class="inline-formula"><i>></i></span> 90 % of surface BC was attributed to anthropogenic sources, mainly gas flaring. In contrast, during the warm period, Siberian wildfires contributed to BC concentrations by 48 %. In August 2021, intense smoke from Yakutian wildfires was transported at high altitudes during the region's worst fire season in 40 years.</p> |
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| ISSN: | 1680-7316 1680-7324 |