Characterization of Stratospheric Smoke Particles over the Antarctica by Remote Sensing Instruments

Abstract

Australian smoke from the extraordinary biomass burning in December 2019 was observed over Marambio, Antarctica from the 7th to the 10th January, 2020. The smoke plume was transported thousands of kilometers over the Pacific Ocean, and reached the Antarctic Peninsula at a hight of 13 km, as determined by satellite lidar observations. The proposed origin and trajectory of the aerosol are supported by back-trajectory model analyses. Ground-based Sun–Sky–Moon photometer belonging to the Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) measured aerosol optical depth (500 nm wavelength) above 0.3, which is unprecedented for the site. Inversion of sky radiances provide the optical and microphysical properties of the smoke over Marambio. The AERONET data near the fire origin in Tumbarumba, Australia, was used to investigate the changes in the measured aerosol properties after transport and ageing. The analysis shows an increase in the fine mode particle radius and a reduction in absorption (increase in the single scattering albedo). The available long-term AOD data series at Marambio suggests that smoke particles could have remained over Antarctica for several weeks after the analyzed event.

A Bayesian Framework to Quantify Uncertainty in Aerosol Optical Model Selection Applied to TROPOMI Measurements

“…However, it is noteworthy that the selected models, 'BB2323' and 'BB2233', place the aerosol layer at 2-4 km and 4-6 km in altitude, respectively (see Appendix A). This refers to a realistic operation of the aerosol model selection, as the transported smoke plume is presumably on the higher layer of the atmosphere (e.g., [32]).…”

The June 2022 extreme warm event in central West Antarctica

“…The temperature at Marambio Station varies between +10°C in summer to -30°C during winter. Wind speeds at Marambio Station may reach ∼28 m s -1 during low synoptic systems advecting in the region, and the prevailing wind directions are south-west and north-west (González et al 2020).…”

A Review of Atmospheric Aerosols in Antarctica: From Characterization to Data Processing

“…Table 4 provides different examples of models of back trajectories employed in different studies. Under specific conditions, they can precisely locate the distant origin of a certain pollutant detected in Antarctica [161]. The back trajectory models can only provide plausible hypotheses regarding the location of the pollutant and its possible route of transport [23,41,42].…”