Long-Term Investigations of the Spatiotemporal Variability of Black Carbon and Aerosol Concentrations in the Troposphere of West Siberia and Russian Subarctic
Valerii S. Kozlov, Mikhail V. Panchenko, Vladimir P. Shmargunov, Dmitriy G. Chernov, Elena P. Yausheva, Viktor V. Pol’kin, Svetlana A. Terpugova
Zuev Institute of Atmospheric Optics, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Tomsk, Russia
Keywords: aerosol, black carbon, spatial-temporal variability, troposphere, vertical profiles, empirical model of tropospheric aerosol, Russian Subarctic
Abstract
The results of aircraft and near-ground investigations of the spatiotemporal variability of aerosol and black carbon (BC) concentrations in the troposphere for the last two decades are reviewed. Since 1999, the airborne sensing of vertical profiles of BC and aerosol concentrations in troposphere up to a height of 7 km in the regions of West Siberia and Russian Subarctic had been carried out onboard flying laboratories. Since 1997, the Aerosol Station in Tomsk conducts monitoring measurements of the aerosol and BC concentrations in the surface layer. The data of airborne sensing were used for analysis of common and distinctive features of the spatial variability of vertical profiles of aerosol and BC concentrations, ВС fraction, single scattering albedo (SSA) in the visible. The integral BC concentration and aerosol optical thickness in the column of the atmosphere were obtained for the first time. The classifications of typical optical and microphysical states of the subarctic troposphere have been performed for: 1) high transparency of air in the polar latitudes; 2) strong impact of Siberian forest fires in warm season; 3) conditions of regional average background atmosphere in the middle latitudes. As the latitude increases in the range of 55-75.2°N, the near-ground aerosol and BC concentrations decrease threefold, on average. In the subpolar latitudes, a tendency to decrease of the concentrations in the direction from the west (Kara Sea) to the east (Eastern Subarctic) is observed. The generalized empirical model of the tropospheric aerosol in middle latitudes of West Siberia for cloudless atmosphere had been developed for the first time and allows calculating the seasonal average vertical profiles of SSA needed for estimation of the direct climate impact of aerosol. The main features of diurnal, seasonal, and inter-annual dynamics of BC and aerosol concentrations, and BC fraction have been studied for the near-ground measurements and parameterization of these dependences are performed.
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