Turbulent Aerosol Fluxes in the central Arctic during the ARTofMELT expedition

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Andreas B. Held
• Subject Area: Atmospheric Science
• Term: since 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 521926906

The central Arctic region is warming much faster than other parts of the world or the globe on average. Episodic transport of warm and moist air masses to the Arctic region, so called Atmospheric Rivers, contribute to Arctic surface warming and also affect the onset of the sea ice melt season in springtime and its feedback to aerosol and cloud properties. In this project, vertical turbulent aerosol particle fluxes will be measured in the central Arctic Ocean during the ARTofMELT expedition 2023 onboard the Swedish research icebreaker Oden in order to investigate how these fluxes vary under different surface conditions and meteorological conditions. A focus of ARTofMELT will be on the impact of warm and moist air mass intrusions on sea ice melt dynamics and the associated interactions and feedback processes between sea ice, clouds, aerosol particles, and the atmospheric radiation budget. Turbulent aerosol fluxes will be measured before and after the onset of sea ice melt in the Arctic spring, and during warm and moist air mass intrusion events using three different approaches. Eddy covariance aerosol flux measurements will be carried out on a mast on the foredeck of the icebreaker. Aerosol emission from open leads will be estimated using a floating chamber system, and flux-gradient relationships will be evaluated using near-surface particle concentration profiles on ice floes. This project will contribute to the international ARTofMELT expedition and to the ongoing DFG-funded research project “Vertical Turbulent Aerosol Particle Transport above open Water and Ice in the central Arctic during Summertime – Aerosol particle sources and transformation in the Arctic marine boundary layer”.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants