Aerosol Dynamics in Polar and Marine Atmospheric Systems
Summary
Aerosol particles play a pivotal role in polar and marine climates by modulating radiation, cloud formation and surface energy budgets. In the high latitudes, natural sources such as sea spray, blowing snow and biogenic emissions interact with anthropogenic inputs from long-range transport to shape complex seasonal cycles. New particle formation events, driven by iodine and sulphur precursors, can supply vast numbers of ultrafine particles that grow to sizes capable of acting as cloud condensation nuclei, thereby influencing cloud reflectivity and lifetime. At the same time, accumulation-mode aerosols comprising black carbon, sulphate and organic matter are transported from mid-latitudes and deposited on snow and ice, altering albedo and contributing to accelerated melt. Measurements throughout the year reveal strong winter–spring peaks in accumulation-mode aerosols and markedly lower concentrations in autumn. Marine boundary-layer processes, sea-ice coverage and meteorological drivers such as wind speed, humidity and temperature dictate aerosol production, growth and removal by wet and dry deposition. Understanding these dynamics is crucial not only for predicting Arctic amplification but also for constraining global climate models and assessing feedbacks that affect weather patterns, sea-level rise and ecosystem health.
Research from Nature Portfolio
Recent studies have shown that sublimation of blowing snow in the central Arctic generates unexpectedly high concentrations of fine sea-salt aerosol that enhance cloud condensation nuclei by up to an order of magnitude, with significant impacts on cloud longwave emissivity and surface warming under cloudy skies. Concurrent aircraft-based investigations have revealed that atmospheric black carbon concentrations in spring are up to four times higher than in summer, with substantial inter-annual and geographic variability that current global models struggle to reproduce. Foundational work on new particle formation over the Arctic Ocean has identified iodic acid as the dominant nucleating vapour, driving autumnal ultrafine particle bursts that can activate as cloud droplets and thus alter cloud microphysics and radiative balance over pack ice.
Aerosol Dynamics in Polar and Marine Atmospheric Systems publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in aerosol dynamics in polar and marine atmospheric systems across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Aerosol: Particles suspended in the atmosphere, spanning sizes from a few nanometres to several micrometres.
New particle formation: The nucleation and growth of gas-phase precursors into stable aerosol particles.
Cloud condensation nuclei: Aerosol particles that activate into cloud droplets under supersaturated conditions.
Sea salt aerosol: Particles generated by wind-driven waves or sublimating ice and snow, composed mainly of sodium chloride.
Black carbon: Light-absorbing carbonaceous aerosol formed by incomplete combustion of fossil fuels or biomass.
Methanesulfonic acid: A biogenic secondary aerosol formed by oxidation of dimethyl sulfide emitted by marine organisms.
References
- Arctic warming by abundant fine sea salt aerosols from blowing snow. Nature Geoscience (2023).
- Atmospheric concentrations of black carbon are substantially higher in spring than summer in the Arctic. Communications Earth & Environment (2023).
- Frequent new particle formation over the high Arctic pack ice by enhanced iodine emissions. Nature Communications (2020).
- Pan-Arctic methanesulfonic acid aerosol: source regions, atmospheric drivers, and future projections. npj Climate and Atmospheric Science (2024).
- Measurements of aerosol microphysical and chemical properties in the central Arctic atmosphere during MOSAiC. Scientific Data (2023).
- Long-range transport and deposition on the Arctic snowpack of nuclear contaminated particulate matter. Journal of Hazardous Materials (2023).
- Global anthropogenic emissions of particulate matter including black carbon. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (2017).
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