Boundary-layer and air quality study at “Station nord” in Greenland

Abstract

Knowledge on the forcing mechanisms (meteorological and chemical) that come into play in the Arctic environment is highly uncertain. We analyse data from measurements and mesoscale meteorological modelling for periods in summer 2011 and winter 2011/2012 to elucidate the boundary-layer features at Station Nord situated in Northern Greenland (81.6 N, 16.7 W). A major challenge for modelling is to connect local-scale observations with larger scales modelling of the atmosphere. In particular, in summer, bare soil in the vicinity of the station may not be present in the global boundary and surface conditions. Thus, in summer the deviations of modeled from measured values of temperature and humidity near the surface are larger compared to winter. We found that the underestimation of temperature near the ground is larger at clear sky compared to cloudy conditions; and the underestimation reached up to height 1-1, 5 km at clear sky and up to the first 100 m for the cloudy days. The measured wind speed profiles showed high variability, while the modeled were smoothed. During summer the modeled wind speed was close to or larger than the measured without clear indication for the role of clouds. In winter, the over-estimation of wind speed was more pronounced.