Characterization of the inter-annual, seasonal, and diurnal variations of condensation particle concentrations at Neumayer, Antarctica

Weller, Rolf; Minikin, Andreas; Wagenbach, Dietmar; Dreiling, Volker

doi:10.5194/acp-11-13243-2011

Cited by 50 publications

(78 citation statements)

References 82 publications

(113 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…It is important to note that in the Antarctic region, CN 3 concentrations show a small peak in spring, with an annual maximum in summer (e.g. Weller et al, 2011;Virkkula et al, 2009;Bigg et al, 1983).…”

Section: R S Humphries Et Al: Unexpectedly High Ultrafine Aerosol mentioning

confidence: 99%

Unexpectedly high ultrafine aerosol concentrations above East Antarctic sea ice

et al. 2016

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract. Better characterisation of aerosol processes in pristine, natural environments, such as Antarctica, have recently been shown to lead to the largest reduction in uncertainties in our understanding of radiative forcing. Our understanding of aerosols in the Antarctic region is currently based on measurements that are often limited to boundary layer air masses at spatially sparse coastal and continental research stations, with only a handful of studies in the vast sea-ice region. In this paper, the first observational study of sub-micron aerosols in the East Antarctic sea ice region is presented. Measurements were conducted aboard the icebreaker Aurora Australis in spring 2012 and found that boundary layer condensation nuclei (CN 3 ) concentrations exhibited a fivefold increase moving across the polar front, with mean polar cell concentrations of 1130 cm −3 -higher than any observed elsewhere in the Antarctic and Southern Ocean region. The absence of evidence for aerosol growth suggested that nucleation was unlikely to be local. Air parcel trajectories indicated significant influence from the free troposphere above the Antarctic continent, implicating this as the likely nucleation region for surface aerosol, a similar conclusion to previous Antarctic aerosol studies. The highest aerosol concentrations were found to correlate with low-pressure systems, suggesting that the passage of cyclones provided an accelerated pathway, delivering air masses quickly from the free troposphere to the surface. After descent from the Antarctic free troposphere, trajectories suggest that sea-ice boundary layer air masses travelled equatorward into the low-albedo Southern Ocean region, transporting with them emissions and these aerosol nuclei which, after growth, may potentially impact on the region's radiative balance. The high aerosol concentrations and their transport pathways described here, could help reduce the discrepancy currently present between simulations and observations of cloud and aerosol over the Southern Ocean.

show abstract

Section: R S Humphries Et Al: Unexpectedly High Ultrafine Aerosol mentioning

confidence: 99%

Unexpectedly high ultrafine aerosol concentrations above East Antarctic sea ice

et al. 2016

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In this paper, an analysis of the correlation between temperature (or solar radiation) and the CN concentration is the focus. 3.2 Seasonality in the physical characteristics of aerosol particles 3.2.1 Total particle number concentrations (Jaenicke et al, 1992;Gras, 1993;Virkkula et al, 2009;Weller et al, 2011 mer season (DJF) should be related primarily to non-sea-salt sulfate and methanesulfonate (MSA) derived from the oxidation of dimethyl sulfide (DMS) produced by phytoplankton (Fattori et al, 2005;Weller et al, 2011). The DMS concentration increases sharply when biological activity was enhanced due to increasing temperatures and solar radiation (Virkkula et al, 2009).…”

Section: Back-trajectory Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Seasonal variations in physical characteristics of aerosol particles at the King Sejong Station, Antarctic Peninsula

et al. 2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract. Seasonal variability in the physical characteristics of aerosol particles sampled from the King Sejong Station in the Antarctic Peninsula was investigated over the period between March 2009 and February 2015. Clear seasonal cycles for the total particle concentration (CN) were observed. The mean monthly concentration of particles larger than 2.5 nm (CN 2.5 ) was highest during the austral summer, with an average value of 1080.39 ± 595.05 cm −3 , and lowest during the austral winter, with a mean value of 197.26 ± 71.71 cm −3 . The seasonal patterns in the concentrations of cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) and CN coincide, with both concentrations being at a minimum in winter and maximum in summer. The measured CCN spectra were approximated by fitting a power-law function relating the number of CCN for a given supersaturation (SS) to each SS value, with fitting coefficients C and k T . The values for C varied from 6.35 to 837.24 cm −3 , with a mean of 171.48 ± 62.00 cm −3 . The values for k T ranged from 0.07 to 2.19, with a mean of 0.41 ± 0.10. In particular, the k T values during the austral summer were higher than those during the winter, indicating that aerosol particles are more sensitive to SS changes during summer. Furthermore, the annual mean hygroscopicity parameter, κ, was estimated as 0.15 ± 0.05, for a SS of 0.4 %. The effects of the origin and pathway travelled by the air mass on the physical characteristics of the aerosol particles were also determined. The modal diameter of aerosol particles originating in the South Pacific Ocean showed a seasonal variation varying from 0.023 µm in winter to 0.034 µm in summer for the Aitken mode, and from 0.086 µm in winter to 0.109 µm in summer for the accumulation mode.

show abstract

“…Minimum values (less than 100 cm −3 ) were typically observed in June/July, while concentrations increased in the austral summer to a maximum of approximately 1000 cm −3 in March (Weller et al, 2011). In winter, aerosol number and mass were both dominated by sea-salt particles (87 % by mass; Weller et al, 2008).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

In situ measurements of cloud microphysics and aerosol over coastal Antarctica during the MAC campaign

et al. 2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract. During austral summer 2015, the Microphysics of Antarctic Clouds (MAC) field campaign collected unique and detailed airborne and ground-based in situ measurements of cloud and aerosol properties over coastal Antarctica and the Weddell Sea. This paper presents the first results from the experiment and discusses the key processes important in this region, which is critical to predicting future climate change.The sampling was predominantly of stratus clouds, at temperatures between −20 and 0 • C. These clouds were dominated by supercooled liquid water droplets, which had a median concentration of 113 cm −3 and an interquartile range of 86 cm −3 . Both cloud liquid water content and effective radius increased closer to cloud top. The cloud droplet effective radius increased from 4 ± 2 µm near cloud base to 8 ± 3 µm near cloud top.Cloud ice particle concentrations were highly variable with the ice tending to occur in small, isolated patches. Below approximately 1000 m, glaciated cloud regions were more common at higher temperatures; however, the clouds were still predominantly liquid throughout. When ice was present at temperatures higher than −10 • C, secondary ice production most likely through the Hallett-Mossop mechanism led to ice concentrations 1 to 3 orders of magnitude higher than the number predicted by commonly used primary ice nucleation parameterisations. The drivers of the ice crystal variability are investigated. No clear dependence on the droplet size distribution was found. The source of first ice in the clouds remains uncertain but may include contributions from biogenic particles, blowing snow or other surface ice production mechanisms.The concentration of large aerosols (diameters 0.5 to 1.6 µm) decreased with altitude and were depleted in air masses that originated over the Antarctic continent compared to those more heavily influenced by the Southern Ocean and sea ice regions. The dominant aerosol in the region was hygroscopic in nature, with the hygroscopicity parameter κ having a median value for the campaign of 0.66 (interquartile range of 0.38). This is consistent with other remote marine locations that are dominated by sea salt/sulfate.

show abstract

Characterization of the inter-annual, seasonal, and diurnal variations of condensation particle concentrations at Neumayer, Antarctica

Abstract: Abstract. Continuous condensation particle (CP) observations were conducted from

Cited by 50 publications

References 82 publications

Unexpectedly high ultrafine aerosol concentrations above East Antarctic sea ice

Unexpectedly high ultrafine aerosol concentrations above East Antarctic sea ice

Seasonal variations in physical characteristics of aerosol particles at the King Sejong Station, Antarctic Peninsula

In situ measurements of cloud microphysics and aerosol over coastal Antarctica during the MAC campaign

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About