Overview of sun photometer measurements of aerosol properties in Scandinavia and Svalbard

Abstract

a b s t r a c tAn overview on the data of columnar aerosol properties measured in Northern Europe is provided. Apart from the necessary data gathered in the Arctic, the knowledge of the aerosol loading in nearby areas (e.g. sub-Arctic) is of maximum interest to achieve a correct analysis of the Arctic aerosols and transport patterns. This work evaluates data from operational sites with sun photometer measurements belonging either to national or international networks (AERONET, GAW-PFR) and programs conducted in Scandinavia and Svalbard. We enumerate a list of sites, measurement type and periods together with observed aerosol properties. An evaluation and analysis of aerosol data was carried out with a review of previous results as well. Aerosol optical depth (AOD) and Ångström exponent (AE) are the current parameters with sufficient long-term records for a first evaluation of aerosol properties. AOD (500 nm) ranges from 0.08 to 0.10 in Arctic and sub-Arctic sites (Ny-Ålesund: 0.09; Andenes: 0.10; Sodankylä: 0.08), and it is somewhat higher in more populated areas in Southern Scandinavia (AOD about 0.10e0.12 at 500 nm). On the Norwegian coast, aerosols show larger mean size (AE ¼ 1.2 at Andenes) than in Finland, with continental climate (AE ¼ 1.5 at Sodankylä). Columnar particle size distributions and related parameters derived from inversion of sun/sky radiances were also investigated. This work makes special emphasis in the joint and collaborative effort of the various groups from different countries involved in this study. Part of the measurements presented here were involved in the IPY projects Polar-AOD and POLARCAT.

Aerosol characterization at the sub‐Arctic site Andenes (69°N, 16°E), by the analysis of columnar optical properties

“…Table IV shows the frequency of each sector for the period analysed (3195 days). Note that the trajectories classified by this sector analysis approach are clustered with respect to residence time over each sector and not with respect to trajectory length or curvature (Toledano et al, 2010).…”

“…Only the Andenes site in northern Norway, analysed in this paper, has been active since 2002. A new expansion came thanks to the stimulus of the International Polar Year (IPY) 2007-2008(Toledano et al, 2010.…”

Columnar aerosol characterization over Scandinavia and Svalbard

“…Columnar particle size distributions and related parameters were also used to evaluate aerosol volume efficiencies, as can be seen in [1]. …”

“…An overview of sun photometer measurements of aerosol properties in Scandinavia and Svalbard was provided by Toledano et al [1] thanks to the collaborative effort of various research groups from different countries that maintain a number of observation sites in the European Arctic and sub-Arctic regions. The data from a set of operational sun photometer sites belonging either to national or international measurement networks (AERONET, GAW-PFR) were evaluated, with the aim of evaluating the columnar aerosol properties, their spatial variability across Scandinavia and seasonality.…”

“…An overview of sun photometer measurements of aerosol properties in Scandinavia and Svalbard was provided by Toledano et al (2012) thanks to the collaborative effort of various research groups from different countries that maintain a number of observation sites in the European Arctic and sub-Arctic regions. The spatial coverage of this kind of data has remarkably improved in the last years, thanks, among other things, to projects carried out within the framework of the International Polar Year 2007-08.…”