Features of the Spatial Distribution of Atmospheric Aerosol in the Eurasian Sector of the Arctic Ocean

Abstract

The interest in aerosol studies in the Arctic stems from the large dynamics of the climate processes and active economical development of this region. The number of polar stations, available at present, is insufficient to determine the aerosol spatial distribution over the territory of the Arctic Ocean (AO). In this paper, the long-term studies in the Eurasian sector of the Arctic Ocean (AO) (19 ship-based expeditions in 2007–2023) are used to statistically generalize the volume concentrations of fine and coarse aerosol (V_f and V_с) in the near-water layer and the aerosol optical depth (AOD) of the atmosphere. The average AOD (0.5 μm) was 0.061 with an Ångström exponent of 0.9; the average concentrations of fine and coarse aerosol were 0.35 and 2.5 μm³/cm³, respectively. The content of fine aerosol was the largest in the atmosphere over the Norwegian and Barents Seas. The spatial distribution was characterized by the decline in the concentrations in northern and eastern directions: the average V_f value decreased by a factor of 1.7 (from 0.43 to 0.26 μm³/cm³) from the Barents to Chukchi Sea. In the spatial distribution of coarse aerosol very high concentrations were in the southwestern part of the Kara Sea; the average V_с was 4.18 μm³/cm³. The content of coarse aerosol were in the Kara Sea severalfold decreased in the eastern and western directions. These results can be used in planning the economical development of the Arctic region and refining climate models.