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...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: O. B. Popovicheva, M. A. Chichaeva, N. Evangeliou, S. Eckhardt, E. Diapouli, N. S. Kasimov
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Copernicus Publications 2025-07-01
Series:Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics
Online Access:https://acp.copernicus.org/articles/25/7719/2025/acp-25-7719-2025.pdf
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849387625612312576
author O. B. Popovicheva
M. A. Chichaeva
N. Evangeliou
S. Eckhardt
E. Diapouli
N. S. Kasimov
author_facet O. B. Popovicheva
M. A. Chichaeva
N. Evangeliou
S. Eckhardt
E. Diapouli
N. S. Kasimov
author_sort O. B. Popovicheva
collection DOAJ
description <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>&gt;</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>
format Article
id doaj-art-3c3d16f836c643c8b1b92bd69d60e4a1
institution Kabale University
issn 1680-7316
1680-7324
language English
publishDate 2025-07-01
publisher Copernicus Publications
record_format Article
series Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics
spelling doaj-art-3c3d16f836c643c8b1b92bd69d60e4a12025-08-20T03:51:30ZengCopernicus PublicationsAtmospheric Chemistry and Physics1680-73161680-73242025-07-01257719773910.5194/acp-25-7719-2025Multi-year black carbon observations and modeling close to the largest gas flaring and wildfire regions in the Western Siberian ArcticO. B. Popovicheva0M. A. Chichaeva1N. Evangeliou2S. Eckhardt3E. Diapouli4N. S. Kasimov5SINP, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119991 Moscow, RussiaFaculty of Geography, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119991 Moscow, RussiaDepartment for Atmospheric & Climate Research (ATMOS), Stiftelsen NILU (formerly The Norwegian Institute for Air Research), Kjeller, NorwayDepartment for Atmospheric & Climate Research (ATMOS), Stiftelsen NILU (formerly The Norwegian Institute for Air Research), Kjeller, NorwayERL, Institute of Nuclear and Radiological Science & Technology, Energy & Safety, NCSR Demokritos, 15341 Attiki, Athens, GreeceFaculty of Geography, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119991 Moscow, Russia<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>&gt;</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>https://acp.copernicus.org/articles/25/7719/2025/acp-25-7719-2025.pdf
spellingShingle O. B. Popovicheva
M. A. Chichaeva
N. Evangeliou
S. Eckhardt
E. Diapouli
N. S. Kasimov
Multi-year black carbon observations and modeling close to the largest gas flaring and wildfire regions in the Western Siberian Arctic
Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics
title Multi-year black carbon observations and modeling close to the largest gas flaring and wildfire regions in the Western Siberian Arctic
title_full Multi-year black carbon observations and modeling close to the largest gas flaring and wildfire regions in the Western Siberian Arctic
title_fullStr Multi-year black carbon observations and modeling close to the largest gas flaring and wildfire regions in the Western Siberian Arctic
title_full_unstemmed Multi-year black carbon observations and modeling close to the largest gas flaring and wildfire regions in the Western Siberian Arctic
title_short Multi-year black carbon observations and modeling close to the largest gas flaring and wildfire regions in the Western Siberian Arctic
title_sort multi year black carbon observations and modeling close to the largest gas flaring and wildfire regions in the western siberian arctic
url https://acp.copernicus.org/articles/25/7719/2025/acp-25-7719-2025.pdf
work_keys_str_mv AT obpopovicheva multiyearblackcarbonobservationsandmodelingclosetothelargestgasflaringandwildfireregionsinthewesternsiberianarctic
AT machichaeva multiyearblackcarbonobservationsandmodelingclosetothelargestgasflaringandwildfireregionsinthewesternsiberianarctic
AT nevangeliou multiyearblackcarbonobservationsandmodelingclosetothelargestgasflaringandwildfireregionsinthewesternsiberianarctic
AT seckhardt multiyearblackcarbonobservationsandmodelingclosetothelargestgasflaringandwildfireregionsinthewesternsiberianarctic
AT ediapouli multiyearblackcarbonobservationsandmodelingclosetothelargestgasflaringandwildfireregionsinthewesternsiberianarctic
AT nskasimov multiyearblackcarbonobservationsandmodelingclosetothelargestgasflaringandwildfireregionsinthewesternsiberianarctic