Observations of high time-resolution and size-resolved aerosol chemical composition and microphyscis in the central Arctic: implications for climate-relevant particle properties

Abstract

Abstract. Aerosols play a critical role in the Arctic’s radiative balance, influencing solar radiation and cloud formation based on their physicochemical properties (e.g., size, abundance, and chemical composition). Limited observations in the central Arctic leave gaps in understanding aerosol dynamics year-round, affecting model predictions of climate-relevant properties. Here, we present the first annual high-time resolution observations of submicron aerosol chemical composition in the central Arctic during the Arctic Ocean 2018 (AO2018) and the 2019–2020 Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC) expeditions. Seasonal variations in aerosol mass concentrations and chemical composition were found to be driven by typical Arctic seasonal regimes. Organic aerosols dominated the pristine summer, while anthropogenic sulfate prevailed in autumn and spring under Arctic haze conditions. Ammonium, which impacts aerosol acidity, was consistently less abundant, relative to sulfate, in the central Arctic compared to lower latitudes of the Arctic. Cyclonic (storm) activity was found to have a significant influence on aerosol variability by enhancing both emission from local sources and transport of remote aerosol, with locally wind-generated particles contributing up to 80 % (20 %) of the cloud condensation nuclei population in autumn (spring). While the analysis presented herein provides the current central Arctic aerosol baseline, which will serve to improve climate model predictions in the region, it also underscores the importance of integrating short-timescale processes, such as seasonal wind-driven aerosol sources from blowing snow and open leads/ocean in model simulations, especially in light of the declining mid-latitude anthropogenic emissions influence and the increasing local anthropogenic emissions.