Articles | Volume 17, issue 7
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-2909-2023
© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-2909-2023
© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Black carbon concentrations and modeled smoke deposition fluxes to the bare-ice dark zone of the Greenland Ice Sheet
Department of Environmental Sciences, Western Washington University, WA, USA
Peng Xian
Aerosol and Radiation Section of the Marine Meteorology Division, Naval Research Laboratory, Monterey, California, USA
Joshua P. Schwarz
Chemical Sciences Laboratory, NOAA Earth System Research Laboratories (ESRL), Boulder, CO, USA
Related authors
Alia L. Khan, Heidi M. Dierssen, Ted A. Scambos, Juan Höfer, and Raul R. Cordero
The Cryosphere, 15, 133–148, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-133-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-133-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We present radiative forcing (RF) estimates by snow algae in the Antarctic Peninsula (AP) region from multi-year measurements of solar radiation and ground-based hyperspectral characterization of red and green snow algae collected during a brief field expedition in austral summer 2018. Mean daily RF was double for green (~26 W m−2) vs. red (~13 W m−2) snow algae during the peak growing season, which is on par with midlatitude dust attributions capable of advancing snowmelt.
Jeffrey S. Reid, Robert E. Holz, Chris A. Hostetler, Richard A. Ferrare, Juli I. Rubin, Elizabeth J. Thompson, Susan C. van den Heever, Corey G. Amiot, Sharon P. Burton, Joshua P. DiGangi, Glenn S. Diskin, Joshua H. Cossuth, Daniel P. Eleuterio, Edwin W. Eloranta, Ralph Kuehn, Willem J. Marais, Hal B. Maring, Armin Sorooshian, Kenneth L. Thornhill, Charles R. Trepte, Jian Wang, Peng Xian, and Luke D. Ziemba
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-2605, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-2605, 2025
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (ACP).
Short summary
Short summary
We document air and ship born measurements of the vertical distribution of pollution and biomass burning aerosol particles transported within the Maritime Continent’s monsoonal flows for 1000’s of kilometers, and yet still exhibit intricate patterns around clouds near the ocean’s surface. Findings demonstrate that, while aerosol transport occurs near the surface, there is heterogeneity in particle extinction that must be considered for both in situ observations and satellite retrievals.
Christopher D. Holmes, Joshua P. Schwarz, Charles H. Fite, Anxhelo Agastra, Holly K. Nowell, Katherine Ball, T. Paul Bui, Johnathan Dean-Day, Zachary C. J. Decker, Joshua P. DiGagni, Glenn S. Diskin, Emily M. Gargulinski, Hannah Halliday, Shobha Kondragunta, John B. Nowak, David A. Peterson, Michael A. Robinson, Amber J. Soja, Rebecca A. Washenfelder, Chuanyu Xu, and Robert J. Yokelson
Earth Syst. Sci. Data Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2025-307, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2025-307, 2025
Preprint under review for ESSD
Short summary
Short summary
Smoke age is an important factor in the chemical and physical evolution of smoke. Two methods for determining the age of smoke are applied to the NASA-NOAA FIREX-AQ field campaign: one based on wind speed and distance, and another using an ensemble of modeled air parcel trajectories. Both methods are evaluated, with the trajectory method, which includes plume rise and uncertainty estimates, proving more accurate.
Michalina Anna Broda, Olga Zawadzka-Mańko, Krzysztof Mirosław Markowicz, Peng Xian, and Edward Joseph Hyer
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-1223, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-1223, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
A new method was developed to estimate the share of smoke from different regions at a selected location using satellite observations and model data. Applied in Warsaw, it shows fires from North America contribute over sixty-five percent, surpassing Europe's share, highlighting the importance of intercontinental transport, which may be generalized across Europe. This is an important step in understanding how smoke particles from distant fires impact climate and atmosphere locally.
Blake T. Sorenson, Jianglong Zhang, Jeffrey S. Reid, and Peng Xian
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-80, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-80, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Plumes of wildfire smoke in the Arctic affect the Arctic radiative budget. Using a neural network and observations from satellite-based sensors, we analyzed the direct radiative forcing of smoke particles on the Arctic climate and estimated long-term forcing trends. Strong negative trends in aerosol direct radiative forcing were found in northern Russia and Canada, with positive trends found over parts of the Arctic Ocean. Overall, smoke plumes may act to counter future Arctic warming.
Kouji Adachi, Jack E. Dibb, Joseph M. Katich, Joshua P. Schwarz, Hongyu Guo, Pedro Campuzano-Jost, Jose L. Jimenez, Jeff Peischl, Christopher D. Holmes, and James Crawford
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 10985–11004, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-10985-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-10985-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We examined aerosol particles from wildfires and identified tarballs (TBs) from the Fire Influence on Regional to Global Environments and Air Quality (FIREX-AQ) campaign. This study reveals the compositions, abundance, sizes, and mixing states of TBs and shows that TBs formed as the smoke aged for up to 5 h. This study provides measurements of TBs from various biomass-burning events and ages, enhancing our knowledge of TB emissions and our understanding of their climate impact.
Kira Zeider, Grace Betito, Anthony Bucholtz, Peng Xian, Annette Walker, and Armin Sorooshian
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 9059–9083, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-9059-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-9059-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The predominant wind direction along the California coast (northerly) reverses several times during the summer (to southerly). The effects of these wind reversals on aerosol and cloud characteristics are not well understood. Using data from multiple datasets we found that southerly flow periods had enhanced signatures of anthropogenic emissions due to shipping and continental sources, and clouds had more but smaller droplets.
Peng Xian, Jeffrey S. Reid, Melanie Ades, Angela Benedetti, Peter R. Colarco, Arlindo da Silva, Tom F. Eck, Johannes Flemming, Edward J. Hyer, Zak Kipling, Samuel Rémy, Tsuyoshi Thomas Sekiyama, Taichu Tanaka, Keiya Yumimoto, and Jianglong Zhang
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 6385–6411, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-6385-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-6385-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The study compares and evaluates monthly AOD of four reanalyses (RA) and their consensus (i.e., ensemble mean). The basic verification characteristics of these RA versus both AERONET and MODIS retrievals are presented. The study discusses the strength of each RA and identifies regions where divergence and challenges are prominent. The RA consensus usually performs very well on a global scale in terms of how well it matches the observational data, making it a good choice for various applications.
Georgios I. Gkatzelis, Matthew M. Coggon, Chelsea E. Stockwell, Rebecca S. Hornbrook, Hannah Allen, Eric C. Apel, Megan M. Bela, Donald R. Blake, Ilann Bourgeois, Steven S. Brown, Pedro Campuzano-Jost, Jason M. St. Clair, James H. Crawford, John D. Crounse, Douglas A. Day, Joshua P. DiGangi, Glenn S. Diskin, Alan Fried, Jessica B. Gilman, Hongyu Guo, Johnathan W. Hair, Hannah S. Halliday, Thomas F. Hanisco, Reem Hannun, Alan Hills, L. Gregory Huey, Jose L. Jimenez, Joseph M. Katich, Aaron Lamplugh, Young Ro Lee, Jin Liao, Jakob Lindaas, Stuart A. McKeen, Tomas Mikoviny, Benjamin A. Nault, J. Andrew Neuman, John B. Nowak, Demetrios Pagonis, Jeff Peischl, Anne E. Perring, Felix Piel, Pamela S. Rickly, Michael A. Robinson, Andrew W. Rollins, Thomas B. Ryerson, Melinda K. Schueneman, Rebecca H. Schwantes, Joshua P. Schwarz, Kanako Sekimoto, Vanessa Selimovic, Taylor Shingler, David J. Tanner, Laura Tomsche, Krystal T. Vasquez, Patrick R. Veres, Rebecca Washenfelder, Petter Weibring, Paul O. Wennberg, Armin Wisthaler, Glenn M. Wolfe, Caroline C. Womack, Lu Xu, Katherine Ball, Robert J. Yokelson, and Carsten Warneke
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 929–956, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-929-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-929-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
This study reports emissions of gases and particles from wildfires. These emissions are related to chemical proxies that can be measured by satellite and incorporated into models to improve predictions of wildfire impacts on air quality and climate.
Blake T. Sorenson, Jianglong Zhang, Jeffrey S. Reid, Peng Xian, and Shawn L. Jaker
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 7161–7175, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-7161-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-7161-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We quality-control Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) aerosol index data by identifying row anomalies and removing systematic biases, using the data to quantify trends in UV-absorbing aerosols over the Arctic region. We found decreasing trends in UV-absorbing aerosols in spring months and increasing trends in summer months. For the first time, observational evidence of increasing trends in UV-absorbing aerosols over the North Pole is found using the OMI data, especially over the last half decade.
Haihui Zhu, Randall V. Martin, Betty Croft, Shixian Zhai, Chi Li, Liam Bindle, Jeffrey R. Pierce, Rachel Y.-W. Chang, Bruce E. Anderson, Luke D. Ziemba, Johnathan W. Hair, Richard A. Ferrare, Chris A. Hostetler, Inderjeet Singh, Deepangsu Chatterjee, Jose L. Jimenez, Pedro Campuzano-Jost, Benjamin A. Nault, Jack E. Dibb, Joshua S. Schwarz, and Andrew Weinheimer
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 5023–5042, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-5023-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-5023-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Particle size of atmospheric aerosol is important for estimating its climate and health effects, but simulating atmospheric aerosol size is computationally demanding. This study derives a simple parameterization of the size of organic and secondary inorganic ambient aerosol that can be applied to atmospheric models. Applying this parameterization allows a better representation of the global spatial pattern of aerosol size, as verified by ground and airborne measurements.
Juli I. Rubin, Jeffrey S. Reid, Peng Xian, Christopher M. Selman, and Thomas F. Eck
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 4059–4090, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-4059-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-4059-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
This work aims to quantify the covariability between aerosol optical depth/extinction with water vapor (PW) globally, using NASA AERONET observations and NAAPS model data. Findings are important for data assimilation and radiative transfer. The study shows statistically significant and positive AOD–PW relationships are found across the globe, varying in strength with location and season and tied to large-scale aerosol events. Hygroscopic growth was also found to be an important factor.
Youhua Tang, Patrick C. Campbell, Pius Lee, Rick Saylor, Fanglin Yang, Barry Baker, Daniel Tong, Ariel Stein, Jianping Huang, Ho-Chun Huang, Li Pan, Jeff McQueen, Ivanka Stajner, Jose Tirado-Delgado, Youngsun Jung, Melissa Yang, Ilann Bourgeois, Jeff Peischl, Tom Ryerson, Donald Blake, Joshua Schwarz, Jose-Luis Jimenez, James Crawford, Glenn Diskin, Richard Moore, Johnathan Hair, Greg Huey, Andrew Rollins, Jack Dibb, and Xiaoyang Zhang
Geosci. Model Dev., 15, 7977–7999, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-15-7977-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-15-7977-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
This paper compares two meteorological datasets for driving a regional air quality model: a regional meteorological model using WRF (WRF-CMAQ) and direct interpolation from an operational global model (GFS-CMAQ). In the comparison with surface measurements and aircraft data in summer 2019, these two methods show mixed performance depending on the corresponding meteorological settings. Direct interpolation is found to be a viable method to drive air quality models.
Eva-Lou Edwards, Jeffrey S. Reid, Peng Xian, Sharon P. Burton, Anthony L. Cook, Ewan C. Crosbie, Marta A. Fenn, Richard A. Ferrare, Sean W. Freeman, John W. Hair, David B. Harper, Chris A. Hostetler, Claire E. Robinson, Amy Jo Scarino, Michael A. Shook, G. Alexander Sokolowsky, Susan C. van den Heever, Edward L. Winstead, Sarah Woods, Luke D. Ziemba, and Armin Sorooshian
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 12961–12983, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-12961-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-12961-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
This study compares NAAPS-RA model simulations of aerosol optical thickness (AOT) and extinction to those retrieved with a high spectral resolution lidar near the Philippines. Agreement for AOT was good, and extinction agreement was strongest below 1500 m. Substituting dropsonde relative humidities into NAAPS-RA did not drastically improve agreement, and we discuss potential reasons why. Accurately modeling future conditions in this region is crucial due to its susceptibility to climate change.
Aditya Kumar, R. Bradley Pierce, Ravan Ahmadov, Gabriel Pereira, Saulo Freitas, Georg Grell, Chris Schmidt, Allen Lenzen, Joshua P. Schwarz, Anne E. Perring, Joseph M. Katich, John Hair, Jose L. Jimenez, Pedro Campuzano-Jost, and Hongyu Guo
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 10195–10219, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-10195-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-10195-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
We use the WRF-Chem model with new implementations of GOES-16 wildfire emissions and plume rise based on fire radiative power (FRP) to interpret aerosol observations during the 2019 NASA–NOAA FIREX-AQ field campaign and perform model evaluations. The model shows significant improvements in simulating the variety of aerosol loading environments sampled during FIREX-AQ. Our results also highlight the importance of accurate wildfire diurnal cycle and aerosol chemical mechanisms in models.
Peng Xian, Jianglong Zhang, Norm T. O'Neill, Travis D. Toth, Blake Sorenson, Peter R. Colarco, Zak Kipling, Edward J. Hyer, James R. Campbell, Jeffrey S. Reid, and Keyvan Ranjbar
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 9915–9947, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-9915-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-9915-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
The study provides baseline Arctic spring and summertime aerosol optical depth climatology, trend, and extreme event statistics from 2003 to 2019 using a combination of aerosol reanalyses, remote sensing, and ground observations. Biomass burning smoke has an overwhelming contribution to black carbon (an efficient climate forcer) compared to anthropogenic sources. Burning's large interannual variability and increasing summer trend have important implications for the Arctic climate.
Peng Xian, Jianglong Zhang, Norm T. O'Neill, Jeffrey S. Reid, Travis D. Toth, Blake Sorenson, Edward J. Hyer, James R. Campbell, and Keyvan Ranjbar
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 9949–9967, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-9949-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-9949-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
The study provides a baseline Arctic spring and summertime aerosol optical depth climatology, trend, and extreme event statistics from 2003 to 2019 using a combination of aerosol reanalyses, remote sensing, and ground observations. Biomass burning smoke has an overwhelming contribution to black carbon (an efficient climate forcer) compared to anthropogenic sources. Burning's large interannual variability and increasing summer trend have important implications for the Arctic climate.
Linghan Zeng, Jack Dibb, Eric Scheuer, Joseph M. Katich, Joshua P. Schwarz, Ilann Bourgeois, Jeff Peischl, Tom Ryerson, Carsten Warneke, Anne E. Perring, Glenn S. Diskin, Joshua P. DiGangi, John B. Nowak, Richard H. Moore, Elizabeth B. Wiggins, Demetrios Pagonis, Hongyu Guo, Pedro Campuzano-Jost, Jose L. Jimenez, Lu Xu, and Rodney J. Weber
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 8009–8036, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-8009-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-8009-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Wildfires emit aerosol particles containing brown carbon material that affects visibility and global climate and is toxic. Brown carbon is poorly characterized due to measurement limitations, and its evolution in the atmosphere is not well known. We report on aircraft measurements of brown carbon from large wildfires in the western United States. We compare two methods for measuring brown carbon and study the evolution of brown carbon in the smoke as it moved away from the burning regions.
Joseph S. Schlosser, Connor Stahl, Armin Sorooshian, Yen Thi-Hoang Le, Ki-Joon Jeon, Peng Xian, Carolyn E. Jordan, Katherine R. Travis, James H. Crawford, Sung Yong Gong, Hye-Jung Shin, In-Ho Song, and Jong-sang Youn
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 7505–7522, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-7505-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-7505-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
During a major haze pollution episode in March 2019, anthropogenic emissions were dominant in the boundary layer over Incheon and Seoul, South Korea. Using supermicrometer and submicrometer size- and chemistry-resolved aerosol particle measurements taken during this haze pollution period, this work shows that local emissions and a shallow boundary layer, enhanced humidity, and low temperature promoted local heterogeneous formation of secondary inorganic and organic aerosol species.
Meloë S. F. Kacenelenbogen, Qian Tan, Sharon P. Burton, Otto P. Hasekamp, Karl D. Froyd, Yohei Shinozuka, Andreas J. Beyersdorf, Luke Ziemba, Kenneth L. Thornhill, Jack E. Dibb, Taylor Shingler, Armin Sorooshian, Reed W. Espinosa, Vanderlei Martins, Jose L. Jimenez, Pedro Campuzano-Jost, Joshua P. Schwarz, Matthew S. Johnson, Jens Redemann, and Gregory L. Schuster
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 3713–3742, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-3713-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-3713-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
The impact of aerosols on Earth's radiation budget and human health is important and strongly depends on their composition. One desire of our scientific community is to derive the composition of the aerosol from satellite sensors. However, satellites observe aerosol optical properties (and not aerosol composition) based on remote sensing instrumentation. This study assesses how much aerosol optical properties can tell us about aerosol composition.
Charles A. Brock, Karl D. Froyd, Maximilian Dollner, Christina J. Williamson, Gregory Schill, Daniel M. Murphy, Nicholas J. Wagner, Agnieszka Kupc, Jose L. Jimenez, Pedro Campuzano-Jost, Benjamin A. Nault, Jason C. Schroder, Douglas A. Day, Derek J. Price, Bernadett Weinzierl, Joshua P. Schwarz, Joseph M. Katich, Siyuan Wang, Linghan Zeng, Rodney Weber, Jack Dibb, Eric Scheuer, Glenn S. Diskin, Joshua P. DiGangi, ThaoPaul Bui, Jonathan M. Dean-Day, Chelsea R. Thompson, Jeff Peischl, Thomas B. Ryerson, Ilann Bourgeois, Bruce C. Daube, Róisín Commane, and Steven C. Wofsy
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 15023–15063, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-15023-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-15023-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
The Atmospheric Tomography Mission was an airborne study that mapped the chemical composition of the remote atmosphere. From this, we developed a comprehensive description of aerosol properties that provides a unique, global-scale dataset against which models can be compared. The data show the polluted nature of the remote atmosphere in the Northern Hemisphere and quantify the contributions of sea salt, dust, soot, biomass burning particles, and pollution particles to the haziness of the sky.
Marco Zanatta, Andreas Herber, Zsófia Jurányi, Oliver Eppers, Johannes Schneider, and Joshua P. Schwarz
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 9329–9342, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-9329-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-9329-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Saline snow samples were collected from the sea ice in the Fram Strait. Laboratory experiments revealed that sea salt can bias the quantification of black carbon with a laser-induced incandescence technique. The maximum underestimation was quantified to reach values of 80 %–90 %. This salt-induced interference is reported here for the first time and should be considered in future studies aiming to quantify black carbon in snow in marine environments.
Caroline C. Womack, Katherine M. Manfred, Nicholas L. Wagner, Gabriela Adler, Alessandro Franchin, Kara D. Lamb, Ann M. Middlebrook, Joshua P. Schwarz, Charles A. Brock, Steven S. Brown, and Rebecca A. Washenfelder
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 7235–7252, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-7235-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-7235-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Microscopic particles interact with sunlight and affect the earth's climate in ways that are not fully understood. Aerosols from wildfire smoke present particular challenges due to their complexity in shape and composition. We demonstrate that we can experimentally measure aerosol optical properties for many types of smoke particles, using measurements of smoke from controlled burns, but that the method does not work well for smoke with high soot content.
Alia L. Khan, Heidi M. Dierssen, Ted A. Scambos, Juan Höfer, and Raul R. Cordero
The Cryosphere, 15, 133–148, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-133-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-133-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We present radiative forcing (RF) estimates by snow algae in the Antarctic Peninsula (AP) region from multi-year measurements of solar radiation and ground-based hyperspectral characterization of red and green snow algae collected during a brief field expedition in austral summer 2018. Mean daily RF was double for green (~26 W m−2) vs. red (~13 W m−2) snow algae during the peak growing season, which is on par with midlatitude dust attributions capable of advancing snowmelt.
Jianglong Zhang, Robert J. D. Spurr, Jeffrey S. Reid, Peng Xian, Peter R. Colarco, James R. Campbell, Edward J. Hyer, and Nancy L. Baker
Geosci. Model Dev., 14, 27–42, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-14-27-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-14-27-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
A first-of-its-kind scheme has been developed for assimilating Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) aerosol index (AI) measurements into the Naval Aerosol Analysis and Predictive System. Improvements in model simulations demonstrate the utility of OMI AI data assimilation for improving the accuracy of aerosol model analysis over cloudy regions and bright surfaces. This study can be considered one of the first attempts at direct radiance assimilation in the UV spectrum for aerosol analyses.
Peng Xian, Philip J. Klotzbach, Jason P. Dunion, Matthew A. Janiga, Jeffrey S. Reid, Peter R. Colarco, and Zak Kipling
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 15357–15378, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-15357-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-15357-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Using dust AOD (DAOD) data from three aerosol reanalyses, we explored the correlative relationships between DAOD and multiple indices representing seasonal Atlantic TC activities. A robust negative correlation with Caribbean DAOD and Atlantic TC activity was found. We documented for the first time the regional differences of this relationship for over the Caribbean and the tropical North Atlantic. We also evaluated the impacts of potential confounding climate factors in this relationship.
Cited articles
Baumgardner, D., Popovicheva, O., Allan, J., Bernardoni, V., Cao, J., Cavalli, F., Cozic, J., Diapouli, E., Eleftheriadis, K., Genberg, P. J., Gonzalez, C., Gysel, M., John, A., Kirchstetter, T. W., Kuhlbusch, T. A. J., Laborde, M., Lack, D., Müller, T., Niessner, R., Petzold, A., Piazzalunga, A., Putaud, J. P., Schwarz, J., Sheridan, P., Subramanian, R., Swietlicki, E., Valli, G., Vecchi, R., and Viana, M.: Soot reference materials for instrument calibration and intercomparisons: a workshop summary with recommendations, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 5, 1869–1887, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-5-1869-2012, 2012.
Bond, T. C., Doherty, S. J., Fahey, D. W.,
Forster, P. M., Berntsen, T., DeAngelo, B.
J., Flanner, M. G., Ghan, S., Kärcher, B.,
Koch, D., Kinne, S., Kondo, Y., Quinn, P. K.,
Sarofim, M. C., Schultz, M. G., Schulz, M.,
Venkataraman, C., Zhang, H., Zhang, S.,
Bellouin, N., Guttikunda, S. K., Hopke, P.
K., Jacobson, M. Z., Kaiser, J. W., Klimont,
Z., Lohmann, U., Schwarz, J. P., Shindell,
D., Storelvmo, T., Warren, S. G., and
Zender, C. S.: Bounding the role of black carbon in the climate system: A scientific assessment, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 118, 5380–5552, https://doi.org/10.1002/jgrd.50171, 2013.
Carson-Marquis, B. N., Zhang, J., Xian, P., Reid, J. S., and Marquis, J. W.: Improving WRF-Chem meteorological analyses and forecasts over aerosol-polluted regions by incorporating NAAPS aerosol analyses, J. Appl. Meteorol. Clim., 60, 839–855, 2021.
Clark, A. D. and Noone, K. J.: Soot in the
Arctic Snowpack: A cause for perturbations
in radiative transfer, Atmos. Environ., 19,
2045–2053, 1985.
Cordero, R. R., Sepúlveda, E., Feron, S.,
Damiani, A., Fernandoy, F., Neshyba, S.,
Rowe, P. M., Asencio, V., Carrasco, J.,
Alfonso, J. A., Llanillo, P., Wachter, P.,
Seckmeyer, G., Stepanova, M., Carrera,
J. M., Jorquera, J., Wang, C., Malhotra, A.,
Dana, J., Khan, A. L., and Casassa, G.: Black carbon footprint of human presence in Antarctica, Nat. Commun., 13,
984, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-28560-w, 2022.
Doherty, S. J., Warren, S. G., Grenfell, T. C., Clarke, A. D., and Brandt, R. E.: Light-absorbing impurities in Arctic snow, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 10, 11647–11680, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-10-11647-2010, 2010.
Doherty, S. J., Grenfell, T. C., Forsström, S., Hegg, D. L., Brandt, R. E., and Warren, S. G.: Observed vertical redistribution of black carbon and other insoluble light-absorbing particles in melting snow, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 118, 5553–5569, https://doi.org/10.1002/jgrd.50235, 2013.
Flanner, M. G., Zender, C. S., Randerson, J. T., and Rasch, P. J.: Present-day climate forcing and response from black carbon in snow, J. Geophys. Res., 112, D11202, https://doi.org/10.1029/2006JD008003, 2007.
Greuell, W.: Melt-water accumulation on the surface of the Greenland ice sheet: Effect on albedo and mass balance, Geogr. Ann. A, 82, 489–498, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0435-3676.2000.00136.x, 2000.
Hanna, E., Huybrechts, P., Steffen, K.,
Cappelen, J., Huff, R., Shuman, C., Irvine-Fynn, T., Wise, S., and Griffiths, M.: Increased runoff from melt from the Greenland Ice Sheet: A response to global warming, J. Climate, 21, 331–341, https://doi.org/10.1175/2007JCLI1964.1, 2008.
Katich, J. M., Perring, A. E., and Schwarz, J. P.: Optimized detection of particulates from liquid samples in the aerosol phase: focus on black carbon, Aerosol Sci. Tech., 51, 543–553, https://doi.org/10.1080/02786826.2017.1280597, 2017.
Keegan, K. M., Albert, M. R., McConnell, J. R., and Baker, I.: Climate change and forest fires synergistically drive widespread melt events of the Greenland Ice Sheet, P. Natl.
Acad. Sci. USA, 111, 7964–7967, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1405397111, 2014.
Khan, A. L., Wagner, S., Jaffe, R., Xian, P.,
Williams, M., Armstrong, R., and McKnight,
D.: Impacts of coal dust on the spectral reflectance of Arctic surface snow in Svalbard, Norway, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 122, 1767–1778, https://doi.org/10.1002/2016JD025757, 2017a.
Khan, A. L., Wagner, S., Jaffe, R., Xian, P., Williams, M., Armstrong, R., and McKnight, D.: Dissolved black carbon in the global cryosphere: Concentrations and chemical signatures, Geophys. Res. Lett., 44, 6226–6234, https://doi.org/10.1002/2017GL073485, 2017b.
Khan, A. L., McMeeking, G. R., Schwarz, J. P., Xian, P., Welch, K. A., Berry Lyons, W., and McKnight, D. M.: Near-surface refractory black carbon observations in the atmosphere and snow in the McMurdo dry valleys, Antarctica, and potential impacts of Foehn winds, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 123, 2877–2887, 2018.
Khan, A. L., Klein, A. G., Katich, J. M., and Xian, P.: Local emissions and regional wildfires influence refractory black carbon observations near Palmer Station, Antarctica, Front. Earth Sci., 7, 49, https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2019.00049, 2019.
Khan, A. L., Rittger, K., Xian, P., Katich, J. M.,
Armstrong, R. L., Kayastha, R. B.,
Dana, J. L., and McKnight, D. M.: Biofuel burning influences refractory black carbon concentrations in seasonal snow at lower elevations of the Dudh Koshi River Basin of Nepal, Front. Earth Sci., 8, 371, https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2020.00371, 2020.
Kondo, Y., Matsui, H., Moteki, N., Sahu, L., Takegawa, N., Kajino, M., Zhao, Y., Cubison, M. J., Jimenez, J. L., Vay, S., Diskin, G. S., Anderson, B., Wisthaler, A., Mikoviny, T., Fuelberg, H. E., Blake, D. R., Huey, G., Weinheimer, A. J., Knapp, D. J., and Brune, W. H.: Emissions of black carbon, organic, and inorganic aerosols from biomass burning in North America and Asia in 2008, J. Geophys. Res., 116, D08204, https://doi.org/10.1029/2010JD015152, 2011.
Lewis, G., Osterberg, E., Hawley, R.,
Marshall, H. P., Meehan, T., Graeter, K.,
McCarthy, F., Overly, T., Thundercloud, Z.,
Ferris, D., Koffman, B. G., and Dibb, J.: Atmospheric blocking drives recent albedo change across the western Greenland ice sheet percolation zone, Geophys. Res. Lett., 48, e2021GL092814, https://doi.org/10.1029/2021GL092814, 2021.
Lim, S., Faïn, X., Zanatta, M., Cozic, J., Jaffrezo, J.-L., Ginot, P., and Laj, P.: Refractory black carbon mass concentrations in snow and ice: method evaluation and inter-comparison with elemental carbon measurement, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 7, 3307–3324, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-7-3307-2014, 2014.
Lynch, P., Reid, J. S., Westphal, D. L., Zhang, J., Hogan, T. F., Hyer, E. J., Curtis, C. A., Hegg, D. A., Shi, Y., Campbell, J. R., Rubin, J. I., Sessions, W. R., Turk, F. J., and Walker, A. L.: An 11 year global gridded aerosol optical thickness reanalysis (v1.0) for atmospheric and climate sciences, Geosci. Model Dev., 9, 1489–1522, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-9-1489-2016, 2016.
Markowicz, K. M., Pakszys, R., Ritter, C.,
Zielensi, T., Udisti, R., Cappelletti, D.,
Mazzola, M., Shobara, M., Xian, P.,
Zawadzka, O., Lisok, J., Petelski, T.,
Makuch, P., and Karasinksi, G.: Impact of North American intense fires on aerosol optical properties measured over the European Arctic in July 2015, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 121, 14487–14512, https://doi.org/10.1002/2016JD025310, 2016.
Markowicz, K. M., Lisok, L., and Xian, P.: Simulations of the effect of intensive biomass burning in July 2015 on Arctic radiative forcing, Atmos. Environ., 171, 248–260, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2017.10.015, 2017.
Markowicz, K. M., Lisok, J., and Xian, P.: Simulation of long-term direct aerosol radiative forcing over the arctic within the framework of the iAREA project, Atmos. Environ., 244, 117882, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2020.117882, 2021.
McConnell, J. R., Edwards, R., Kok, G. L.,
Flanner, M. G., Zender, C. S., Saltzman, E.
S., Banta, J. R., Pasteris, D. R., Carter, M.
M., and Kahl, J. D. W.: 20th-century industrial black carbon emissions altered arctic climate forcing, Science, 317, 1381–1384, 2007.
Mori, T., Goto-Azuma, K., Kondo, Y.,
Ogawa-Tsukagawa, Y., Miura, K.,
Hirabayashi, M., Oshima, N., Koike, M.,
Kupiainen, K., Moteki, N., Ohata, S., Sinha,
P. R., Sugiura, K., Aoki, T., Schneebeli, M.,
Steffen, K., Sato, A., Tsushima, A.,
Makarov, V., and Nagatsuka, N.: Black Carbon and Inorganic Aerosols in Arctic Snowpack, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 124, 13325–13356, https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JD030623, 2019.
Petzold, A., Ogren, J. A., Fiebig, M., Laj, P., Li, S.-M., Baltensperger, U., Holzer-Popp, T., Kinne, S., Pappalardo, G., Sugimoto, N., Wehrli, C., Wiedensohler, A., and Zhang, X.-Y.: Recommendations for reporting “black carbon” measurements, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 13, 8365–8379, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-13-8365-2013, 2013.
Polashenski, C. M., Dibb, J. E., Flanner, M.
G., Chen, J. Y., Courville, Z. R., Lai, A. M.
Schauer, J. J., Shafer, M. M., and Bergin,
M.: Neither dust nor black carbon causing apparent albedo decline in Greenland's dry snow zone: Implications for MODIS C5 surface reflectance, Geophys. Res. Lett., 42, 9319–9327, https://doi.org/10.1002/2015GL065912, 2015.
Ranjbar, K., O'Neill, N. T., Lutsch, E., McCullough, E. M., AboEl-Fetouh, Y., Xian, P., and Abboud, I.: Extreme smoke event over the high Arctic, Atmos. Environ., 218, 117002, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2019.117002, 2019.
Reid, J. S., Koppmann, R., Eck, T. F., and Eleuterio, D. P.: A review of biomass burning emissions part II: intensive physical properties of biomass burning particles, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 5, 799–825, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-5-799-2005, 2005.
Reid, J. S., Hyer, E. J., Prins, E. M., Westphal, D. L., Zhang, J., Wang, J., Christopher, S. A., Curtis, C. A., Schmidt, C. C., Eleuterio, D. P., Richardson, K. A., and Hoffman, J. P.: Global Monitoring and Forecasting of Biomass-Burning Smoke: Description of and Lessons from the Fire Locating and Modeling of Burning Emissions (FLAMBE) Program, IEEE J. Sel. Top. Appl., 2, 144–162, 2009.
Reid, J. S., Xian, P., Hyer, E. J., Flatau, M. K., Ramirez, E. M., Turk, F. J., Sampson, C. R., Zhang, C., Fukada, E. M., and Maloney, E. D.: Multi-scale meteorological conceptual analysis of observed active fire hotspot activity and smoke optical depth in the Maritime Continent, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 12, 2117–2147, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-12-2117-2012, 2012.
Ross, A. D., Holz, R. E., Quinn, G., Reid, J. S., Xian, P., Turk, F. J., and Posselt, D. J.: Exploring the first aerosol indirect effect over Southeast Asia using a 10-year collocated MODIS, CALIOP, and model dataset, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 12747–12764, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-12747-2018, 2018.
Ryan, J. C., Hubbard, A., Stibal, M., Irvine-Fynn, T. D., Cook, J., and Smith, L. C.: Dark zone of the Greenland Ice Sheet controlled by distributed biologically-active impurities, Nat. Commun., 9, 1065, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-03353-2, 2018.
Ryan, J. C., Smith, L. C., van As, D.,
Cooley, S. W., Cooper, M. G., Pitcher, L. H.,
and Hubbard, A.: Greenland Ice Sheet surface melt amplified by snowline migration and bare ice exposure, Sci. Adv., 5, eaav3738, https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aav3738, 2019.
Schwarz, J. P., Doherty, S. J., Li, F., Ruggiero, S. T., Tanner, C. E., Perring, A. E., Gao, R. S., and Fahey, D. W.: Assessing Single Particle Soot Photometer and Integrating Sphere/Integrating Sandwich Spectrophotometer measurement techniques for quantifying black carbon concentration in snow, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 5, 2581–2592, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-5-2581-2012, 2012.
Schwarz, J. P., Gao, R. S., Perring, A. E., Spackman, J. R., and Fahey, D. W.: Black carbon aerosol size in snow, Sci. Rep.-UK, 3, 1356, https://doi.org/10.1038/srep01356, 2013.
Stibal, M., Box, J. E., Cameron, K. A.,
Langen, P. L., Yallop, M. L., Mottram, R. H.,
Khan, A. L., Molotch, N. P., Chrismas, N.
A. M., Calì Quaglia, F., Remias, D.,
Smeets, C. J. P. P., van den Broeke, M. R.,
Ryan, J. C., Hubbard, A., Tranter, M., van
As, D., and Ahlström, A. P.: Algae Drive Enhanced Darkening of Bare Ice on the Greenland Ice Sheet, Geophys. Res. Lett., 44, 463–471, https://doi.org/10.1002/2017GL075958, 2017.
Tedesco, M., Doherty, S., Fettweis, X., Alexander, P., Jeyaratnam, J., and Stroeve, J.: The darkening of the Greenland ice sheet: trends, drivers, and projections (1981–2100), The Cryosphere, 10, 477–496, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-477-2016, 2016.
Wendl, I. A., Menking, J. A., Färber, R., Gysel, M., Kaspari, S. D., Laborde, M. J. G., and Schwikowski, M.: Optimized method for black carbon analysis in ice and snow using the Single Particle Soot Photometer, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 7, 2667–2681, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-7-2667-2014, 2014.
Whicker, C. A., Flanner, M. G., Dang, C., Zender, C. S., Cook, J. M., and Gardner, A. S.: SNICAR-ADv4: a physically based radiative transfer model to represent the spectral albedo of glacier ice, The Cryosphere, 16, 1197–1220, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-1197-2022, 2022.
Wientjes, I. G. M., Van de Wal, R. S. W., Reichart, G. J., Sluijs, A., and Oerlemans, J.: Dust from the dark region in the western ablation zone of the Greenland ice sheet, The Cryosphere, 5, 589–601, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-5-589-2011, 2011.
Xian, P., Reid, J. S., Atwood, S. A., Johnson, R. S., Hyer, E. J., Westphal, D. L., and Sessions, W.: Smoke aerosol transport patterns over the Maritime Continent, Atmos. Res., 122, 469–485, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosres.2012.05.006, 2013.
Xian, P., Zhang, J., O'Neill, N. T., Reid, J. S., Toth, T. D., Sorenson, B., Hyer, E. J., Campbell, J. R., and Ranjbar, K.: Arctic spring and summertime aerosol optical depth baseline from long-term observations and model reanalyses – Part 2: Statistics of extreme AOD events, and implications for the impact of regional biomass burning processes, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 9949–9967, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-9949-2022, 2022a.
Xian, P., Zhang, J., O'Neill, N. T., Toth, T. D., Sorenson, B., Colarco, P. R., Kipling, Z., Hyer, E. J., Campbell, J. R., Reid, J. S., and Ranjbar, K.: Arctic spring and summertime aerosol optical depth baseline from long-term observations and model reanalyses – Part 1: Climatology and trend, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 9915–9947, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-9915-2022, 2022b.
Short summary
Ice–albedo feedbacks in the ablation region of the Greenland Ice Sheet are difficult to constrain and model. Surface samples were collected across the 2014 summer melt season from different ice surface colors. On average, concentrations were higher in patches that were visibly dark, compared to medium patches and light patches, suggesting that black carbon aggregation contributed to snow aging, and vice versa. High concentrations are likely due to smoke transport from high-latitude wildfires.
Ice–albedo feedbacks in the ablation region of the Greenland Ice Sheet are difficult to...