Abstract
During the second Arctic Gas and Aerosol Sampling Program conducted in April 1986, we performed measurements of the optically absorbing carbonaceous component of the ambient aerosol from the NOAA WP-3D aircraft operating between sea level and 10 km altitude. We collected the aerosol of filters that were exposed for several hours; we also operated the aethalometer to measure the concentration of aerosol black carbon in real time. The filter analyses represent averages over the altitude range and time span during which the filter was collecting. The real-time results were sorted by altitude to calculate vertical profiles of black carbon concentration. Values typically ranged from 300 to 500 ng m−3 at lower altitudes, decreasing gradually to 25 to 100 ng m−3 at 8–10 km. Strong stratification at lower altitudes was frequently observed. The magnitude of these concentrations suggests that the sources are distant regions of considerable fuel consumption. The presence of this material in the tropospheric column and its probable deposition to the high-albedo surface may result in perturbations of the solar radiation balance. The concentrations measured at the highest altitudes may mean that particulate carbon and accompanying emissions for which it is a tracer are mixing into the stratosphere.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Andreae, M.O. (1983) “Soot carbon and excess fine potassium: Long-range transport of combustion-derived aerosols,” Science 220, 1148–1151.
Barrie, L.A. (1986) “Arctic air pollution: An overview of current knowledge” Atmos. Environ. 20, 643–663.
Bizjak, M., V. Hudnik, A.D.A. Hansen, and T. Novakov (1986) “Evidence for heterogeneous SO2 oxidation in Ljubljana, Yugoslavia,” Atmos. Environ. 20, 2199–2204.
Brodzinsky, R., S.-G. Chang, S.S. Markowitz, and T. Novakov (1980) “Kinetics and mechanism for the catalytic oxidation of sulfur dioxide on carbon in aqueous suspensions,” J. Phys. Chem. 84, 3354–3359.
Cess, R.D. (1983) “Arctic aerosols: Model estimates of interactive influences upon the surface-troposphere radiation budget,” Atmos. Environ. 17, 2555–2564.
Chuan, R.L., and D.C. Woods (1984) “The appearance of carbon aerosol particles in the lower stratosphere,” Geophys. Res. Lett. 11, 553–556.
Clarke, A.D., and K.J. Noone (1985) “Soot in the Arctic snowpack: A cause for perturbations in radiative transfer,” Atmos. Environ. 19, 2045–2053.
Clarke, A.D., R.J. Charlson, and L.F. Radke (1984) “Airborne observations of Arctic aerosol: Optical properties of Arctic haze,” Geophys. Res. Lett. 11, 405–408.
Coakley, J.A., R.D. Cess, and F.B. Yurevich (1983) “The effect of tropospheric aerosols on the earth's radiation budget: A parameterization of climate models,” J. Atmos. Sci. 116, 137–144.
Conway, T.J., and L.P. Steele (1989) “Carbon dioxide and methane in the Arctic atmosphere,” J. Atmos. Chem., this issue.
Conway, T.J., W.E. Raatz, and R.H. Gammon (1985) “Airborne CO2 measurements in the Arctic during spring 1983,” Atmos. Environ. 19, 2195–2202.
Covert, D.S., A.P. Waggoner, R.E. Weiss, N.C. Ahlquist, and R.J. Charlson (1980) “Atmospheric aerosols, humidity and visibility,” in The Character and Origins of Smog Aerosols, G.M. Hidy et al., eds. (New York, Wiley), pp. 559–581.
Dutton, E.G., J.J. DeLuisi, and B.A. Bodhaine (1984) “Features of aerosol optical depth observed at Barrow, March 10–20, 1983,” Geophys. Res. Lett. 11, 385–388.
Faxvog, F.R., and D.M. Roessler (1978) “Carbon aerosol visibility vs. particle size distribution,” Appl. Opt. 17, 2612–2616.
Galloway, J.N., ed. (1988) WATOX-86 Special Issues, Global Biogeochem. Cycles 1, 261–380; 2, 1–71.
Groblicki, P.J., S.H. Cadle, C.C. Ang, and P.A. Mulawa (1983) Interlaboratory comparison of methods for the analysis of organic and elemental carbon in atmospheric particulate matter, Research Publication GMR-4054-ENV-152, General Motors Research Laboratories, Warren, Michigan.
Gundel, L.A., R.L. Dod, H. Rosen, and T. Novakov (1984) “The relationship between optical attenuation and black carbon concentration for ambient and source particles,” Sci. Total Environ. 36, 197–202.
Halter, B.C., J.M. Harris, and K.A. Rahn (1985) “A study of winter variability in carbon dioxide and Arctic haze aerosols at Barrow, Alaska,” Atmos. Environ. 19, 2033–2037.
Hansen, A.D.A., T.J. Conway, L.P. Steele, B.A. Bodhaine, K.W. Thoning, P. Tans, and T. Novakov (1989) “Correlations among combustion effluent species at Barrow, Alaska: Aerosol black carbon, carbon dioxide, and methane,” J. Atmos. Chem., this issue.
Hansen, A.D.A., and T. Novakov (1988) “Aerosol black carbon measurements over the western Atlantic Ocean,” Global Biogeochem. Cycles 2, 41–45.
Hansen, A.D.A., B.A. Bodhaine, E.G. Dutton, and R.C. Schnell (1988) “Aerosol black carbon measurements at the South Pole: Initial results, 1986–1987,” submitted to Geophys. Res. Lett.
Hansen, A.D.A., H. Rosen, and T. Novakov (1982) “Real-time measurement of the absorption coefficient of aerosol particles,” Appl. Opt. 21, 3060–3062.
Japar, S.M., W.W. Brachaczek, R.A. Gorse Jr., J.M. Norbeck, and W.R. Pierson (1986) “The contribution of elemental carbon to the optical properties of rural atmospheric aerosols”, Atmos. Environ. 20, 1281–1289.
Marland, G., R.M. Rotty, and N.L. Treat (1985) “CO2 from fossil fuel burning: Global distribution of emissions,” Tellus 37B, 243–258.
Penner, J.E., and L.L. Edwards (1986) “Nucleation scavenging of smoke and aerosol particles in convective updrafts,” in Proceedings, 23rd Conference on Radar Meteorology and Conference on Cloud Physics, Snowmass, Colorado, September 22–26, 1986, v. 2 (American Meteorological Society), pp. 83–86.
Pueschel, R.F., E.W. Barrett, D.L. Wellman, and J.A. McGuire (1981) “Cloud modification by man-made pollutants: Effects of a coal-fired power plant on cloud drop spectra,” Geophys. Res. Lett. 8, 221–224.
Rahn, K.A., ed. (1981) Arctic Air Chemistry Special Issue, Atmos. Environ. 15, 1345–1516.
Rahn, K.A., ed. (1985) Arctic Air Chemistry Special Issue, Atmos. Environ., 19, 1987–2207.
Rosen, H., and A.D.A. Hansen (1985) “Estimates of springtime soot and sulfur fluxes entering the Arctic troposphere: Implications to source regions,” Atmos. Environ. 19, 2203–2207.
Rosen, H., A.D.A. Hansen, L.A. Gundel, and T. Novakov (1978) “Identification of the optically absorbing component of urban aerosol particles,” Appl. Opt. 17, 3859–3861.
Schnell, R.C., ed. (1984) Arctic Haze Special Issue, Geophys. Res. Lett. 11, 359–472.
Sergides, C.A., J.A. Jassim, A.R. Chughtai, and D.M. Smith (1987) “The structure of hexane soot. 3 — Ozonation studies,” Appl. Spectrosc. 41, 482–492.
Shaw, G.E., and K. Stamnes (1980) “Arctic haze: Perturbations of the polar radiation budget,” Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 338, 533–539.
Stephens, S., M.J. Rossi, and D.M. Golden (1986) “The heterogenesis reaction of ozone on carbonaceous surfaces,” Int. J. Chem. Kinetics 18, 1133–1149.
Sverdrup, G.M., and K.T. Whitby (1980) “The effect of changing relative humidity on aerosol size distribution measurements,” in The Character and Origins of Smog Aerosols, G.M. Hidy et al., eds. (New York, Wiley), pp. 527–558.
Twomey, S. (1977) “The influence of pollution on the shortwave albedo of clouds,” J. Atmos. Sci. 34, 1149–1152.
Valeno, F.P.J., T.P. Ackerman, and W.J.Y. Gore (1984) “The absorption of solar radiation by the Aretic atmosphere during the haze season and its effects on the radiation balance,” Geophys. Res. Lett. 11, 465–468.
Warren, S.G. (1984) “Impurities in snow: Effects on albedo and snowmelt (Review),” Annals Glaciol. 5, 177–179.
Wendling, P., R. Wendling, W. Renger, D.S. Covert, J. Heintzenberg, and P. Moerl (1985) “Calcualted radiative effects of Arctic haze during a pollution episode in spring 1983 based on ground-based and airborne measurements,” Atmos. Environ. 19, 2181–2193.
Wolff, G.T. (1984) “Particulate elemental carbon in the atmosphere,” JAPCA 31, 935–938, and references therein.
Yasa, Z., N.M. Amer, H. Rosen, A.D.A. Hansen, and T. Novakov (1979) “Photoacoustic investigations of urban aerosol particles,” Appl Opt. 18, 2528–2530.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Hansen, A.D.A., Novakov, T. Aerosol black carbon measurements in the Arctic haze during AGASP-II. J Atmos Chem 9, 347–361 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00052842
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00052842