ALBERT

Description: Primary marine aerosols are an important component of the climate system, especially in the remote marine environment. With diminishing sea-ice cover, better understanding of the role of sea spray aerosol on climate in the polar regions is required. As for Arctic Ocean water, laboratory experiments with NaCl water confirm that a few degrees change in the water temperature (Tw) gives a large change in the number of primary particles. Small particles with a dry diameter between 0.01 μm and 0.25 μm dominate the aerosol number density, but their relative dominance decreases with increasing water temperature from 0 °C where they represent 85–90% of the total aerosol number to 10 °C, where they represent 60–70% of the total aerosol number. This effect is most likely related to a change in physical properties and not to modification of sea water chemistry. A change of salinity between 15 g kg−1 and 35 g kg−1 did not influence the shape of a particle number size distribution. Although the magnitude of the size distribution for a water temperature change between 0 °C and 16 °C changed, the shape did not. An experiment where succinic acid was added to a NaCl water solution showed, that the number concentration of particles with 0.010 μm 〈 Dp 〈 4.5 μm decreased on average by 10% when the succinic acid concentration in NaCl water at a water temperature of 0 °C was increased from 0 μmol L−1 to 94 μmol L−1. A shift to larger sizes in the particle number size distribution is observed from pure NaCl water to Arctic Ocean water. This is likely a consequence of organics and different inorganic salts present in Arctic Ocean water in addition to the NaCl.

Description: Sea spray aerosols are an important part of the climate system through their direct and indirect effects. Due to the diminishing sea ice, the Arctic Ocean is one of the most rapidly changing sea spray aerosol source areas. However, the influence of these changes on primary particle production is not known. In laboratory experiments we examined the influence of Arctic Ocean water temperature, salinity, and oxygen saturation on primary particle concentration characteristics. Sea water temperature was identified as the most important of these parameters. A strong decrease in sea spray aerosol production with increasing water temperature was observed for water temperatures between −1°C and 9°C. Aerosol number concentrations decreased from at least 1400 cm−3 to 350 cm−3. In general, the aerosol number size distribution exhibited a robust shape with one mode close to dry diameter Dp 0.2 μm with approximately 45% of particles at smaller sizes. Changes in sea water temperature did not result in pronounced change of the shape of the aerosol size distribution, only in the magnitude of the concentrations. Our experiments indicate that changes in aerosol emissions are most likely linked to changes of the physical properties of sea water at low temperatures. The observed strong dependence of sea spray aerosol concentrations on sea water temperature, with a large fraction of the emitted particles in the typical cloud condensation nuclei size range, provide strong arguments for a more careful consideration of this effect in climate models.

Description: Primary marine aerosols (PMAs) are an important source of cloud condensation nuclei, and one of the key elements of the remote marine radiative budget. Changes occurring in the rapidly warming Arctic, most importantly the decreasing sea ice extent, will alter PMA production and hence the Arctic climate through a set of feedback processes. In light of this, laboratory experiments with Arctic Ocean water during both Arctic winter and summer were conducted and focused on PMA emissions as a function of season and water properties. Total particle number concentrations and particle number size distributions were used to characterize the PMA population. A comprehensive data set from the Arctic summer and winter showed a decrease in PMA concentrations for the covered water temperature (Tw) range between −1°C and 15°C. A sharp decrease in PMA emissions for a Tw increase from −1°C to 4°C was followed by a lower rate of change in PMA emissions for Tw up to about 6°C. Near constant number concentrations for water temperatures between 6°C to 10°C and higher were recorded. Even though the total particle number concentration changes for overlapping Tw ranges were consistent between the summer and winter measurements, the distribution of particle number concentrations among the different sizes varied between the seasons. Median particle number concentrations for a dry diameter (Dp〈 0.125μm measured during winter conditions were similar (deviation of up to 3%), or lower (up to 70%) than the ones measured during summer conditions (for the same water temperature range). For Dp 〉 0.125μm, the particle number concentrations during winter were mostly higher than in summer (up to 50%). The normalized particle number size distribution as a function of water temperature was examined for both winter and summer measurements. An increase in Tw from −1°C to 10°C during winter measurements showed a decrease in the peak of relative particle number concentration at about a Dp of 0.180μm, while an increase was observed for particles with Dp 〉 1μm. Summer measurements exhibited a relative shift to smaller particle sizes for an increase of Tw in the range 7–11°C. The differences in the shape of the number size distributions between winter and summer may be caused by different production of organic material in water, different local processes modifying the water masses within the fjord (for example sea ice production in winter and increased glacial meltwater inflow during summer) and different origin of the dominant sea water mass. Further research is needed regarding the contribution of these factors to the PMA production.

Description: Primary marine aerosols are an important component of the climate system, especially in the remote marine environment. With diminishing sea-ice cover, better understanding of the role of sea spray aerosol on climate in the polar regions is required. As for Arctic Ocean water, laboratory experiments with NaCl water confirm that a few degrees change in the water temperature (Tw) gives a large change in the number of primary particles. Smaller particles with a dry diameter between 0.01 μm and 0.25 μm dominate the aerosol number density, but their relative dominance decreases with increasing water temperature from 0 °C where they represent 85–90% of the total aerosol number to 60–70% of the total aerosol number at 10 °C water temperature. This effect is most likely related to a change in physical properties and not to modification of sea water chemistry. A change of salinity between 15 g kg−1 and 35 g kg−1 showed no influence on the relative shape of a particle number size distribution, nor did a change in water temperature between 0 °C and 16 °C. An experiment where succinic acid was added to a NaCl water solution showed, that the number concentration of particles with Dp 〈 0.312 μm decreased by 43% when the succinic acid concentration in NaCl water at Tw = 0 °C was increased from 0 μmol l−1 to 2446 μmol l−1. Different organic constituents and perhaps inorganic substances resulted in a particle number shift towards larger particle sizes, when comparing a size distribution resulting from pure NaCl water to size distributions resulting from Arctic Ocean water and resulting from NaCl water with a succinic acid concentration of 2446 μmol l−1.

Description: Primary marine aerosols (PMA) are an important source of cloud condensation nuclei, and one of the key elements of the remote marine radiative budget. Changes occurring in the rapidly warming Arctic, most importantly the decreasing sea ice extent will alter PMA production and hence the Arctic climate through a set of feedback processes. In light of this, laboratory experiments with Arctic Ocean water during both Arctic winter and summer were conducted and focused on PMA emissions as a function of season and water properties. Total particle number concentrations and particle number size distributions were used to characterize the PMA population. A comprehensive data set from the Arctic summer and winter showed a decrease in PMA concentrations for the covered water temperature (Tw) range between −1 °C and 15 °C. A sharp decrease in PMA emissions for a Tw increase from −1 °C to 4 °C was followed by a lower rate of change in PMA emissions for Tw up to about 6 °C. Near constant number concentrations for water temperatures between 6 °C to 10 °C and higher were recorded. Even though the total particle number concentrations changes for overlapping Tw ranges were consistent between the summer and winter measurements, the distribution of particle number concentrations among the different sizes varied between the seasons. Median particle number concentrations for Dp 〈 0.125 μm measured during winter conditions were similar (deviation of up to 3%), or lower (up to 70%) than the ones measured during summer conditions (for the same water temperature range). For Dp 〉 0.125 μm, the particle number concentrations during winter were mostly higher than in summer (up to 50%). The normalized particle number size distribution as a function of water temperature was examined for both winter and summer measurements. An increase in Tw from −1 °C to 10 °C during winter measurements showed a decrease in the peak of relative particle number concentration at about Dp of 0.180 μm, while an increase was observed for particles with Dp 〉 1 μm. Summer measurements exhibited a relative shift to smaller particle sizes for an increase of Tw in the range 7–11 °C. The differences in the shape of the number size distributions between winter and summer may be caused by different production of organic material in water, different local processes modifying the water masses within the fjord (like sea ice production in winter and increased glacial melt water inflow during summer) and different origin of the dominant sea water mass. Further research is needed regarding the contribution of these factors to the PMA production.

Description: Sea spray aerosols are an important part of the climate system through their direct and indirect effects. Due to the diminishing sea ice, the Arctic Ocean is one of the most rapidly changing sea spray aerosol source areas. However, the influence of these changes on primary particle production is not known. In laboratory experiments we examined the influence of Arctic Ocean water temperature, salinity and oxygen saturation on primary particle concentration characteristics. Sea water temperature was identified as the most important of these parameters. A strong decrease in sea spray aerosol production with increasing water temperature was observed for water temperatures between −1 °C and 9 °C. Aerosol number concentrations decreased from at least 1400 cm−3 to 350 cm−3. In general, the aerosol number size distribution exhibited a robust shape with one mode close to Dp 0.2 μm with approximately 45% of particles at smaller sizes. Changes in sea water temperature did not result in pronounced change of the shape of the aerosol size distribution, only in the magnitude of the concentrations. Our experiments indicate that changes in aerosol emissions are most likely linked to changes of the physical properties of sea water at low temperatures. The observed strong dependence of sea spray aerosol concentrations on sea water temperature, with a large fraction of the emitted particles in the typical cloud condensation nuclei size range, provide strong arguments for a more careful consideration of this effect in climate models.

Description: The Arctic is one of the most vulnerable regions affected by climate change. Extensive measurement data are needed to understand the atmospheric processes governing this vulnerability. Among these, data describing cloud formation potential are of particular interest, since the indirect effect of aerosols on the climate system is still poorly understood. In this paper we present, for the first time, size-resolved cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) data obtained in the Arctic. The measurements were conducted during two periods in the summer of 2008: one in June, and one in August, at the Zeppelin research station (78°54' N, 11°53' E) in Svalbard. Trajectory analysis indicates that during the measurement period in June 2008, air masses predominantly originated from the Arctic, whereas the measurements from August 2008 were characteristic of mid-latitude air masses. CCN supersaturation (SS) spectra obtained on the 27 June, before size-resolved measurements were begun, and spectra from the 21 and 24 August, conducted before and after the measurement period, revealed similarities between the two months. From the ratio between CCN concentration and the total particle number concentration (CN) as a function of dry particle diameter (Dp) at a SS of 0.4%, the activation diameter (D50), corresponding to CCN / CN = 0.50, was estimated. D50 was found to be 60 and 67 nm for the examined periods in June and August 2008, respectively. Corresponding D50 hygroscopicity parameter (κ) values were estimated to be 0.4 and 0.3 for June and August 2008, respectively. These values can be compared to hygroscopicity values estimated from bulk chemical composition, where κ was calculated to be 0.5 for both June and August 2008. While the agreement between the two months is reasonable, the difference in κ between the different methods indicates a size-dependence in the particle composition, which is likely explained by a higher fraction of sea salt in the bulk aerosol samples.

Description: The Arctic is one of the most vulnerable regions affected by climate change. Extensive measurement data are needed to understand the atmospheric processes governing this vulnerability. Among these, data describing cloud formation potential are of particular interest, since the indirect effect of aerosols on the climate system is still poorly understood. In this paper we present, for the first time, size-resolved cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) data obtained in the Arctic. The measurements were conducted during two periods in the summer of 2008: one in June and one in August, at the Zeppelin research station (78°54´ N, 11°53´ E) in Svalbard. Trajectory analysis indicates that during the measurement period in June 2008, air masses predominantly originated from the Arctic, whereas the measurements from August 2008 were influenced by mid-latitude air masses. CCN supersaturation (SS) spectra obtained on the 27 June, before size-resolved measurements were begun, and spectra from the 21 and 24 August, conducted before and after the measurement period, revealed similarities between the 2 months. From the ratio between CCN concentration and the total particle number concentration (CN) as a function of dry particle diameter (Dp) at a SS of 0.4 %, the activation diameter (D50), corresponding to CCN / CN = 0.50, was estimated. D50 was found to be 60 and 67 nm for the examined periods in June and August 2008, respectively. Corresponding D50 hygroscopicity parameter (κ) values were estimated to be 0.4 and 0.3 for June and August 2008, respectively. These values can be compared to hygroscopicity values estimated from bulk chemical composition, where κ was calculated to be 0.5 for both June and August 2008. While the agreement between the 2 months is reasonable, the difference in κ between the different methods indicates a size dependence in the particle composition, which is likely explained by a higher fraction of inorganics in the bulk aerosol samples.