An important contribution to springtime Arctic aerosol from biomass burning in Russia

Abstract

Using aircraft observations and transport model calculations we determine the total amounts of various gas-phase and aerosol species in the Arctic due to distant biomass burning (BB) emissions. We find that for many climate-relevant species, including black carbon (BC) and organic aerosols, fires in Russia that typically occur during the critical springtime snowmelt can more than double the high seasonal Arctic atmospheric background that has built up in the winter months (commonly called "Arctic haze"). Decision makers have targeted BC, because it is expected to cause strong positive forcing over snow-covered surfaces yet is significantly shorter lived than greenhouse gases. These results demonstrate that BB is more important for the Arctic than previously believed and should be considered in any attempt to mitigate impacts. Copyright 2010 by the American Geophysical Union.