Climatically Relevant Atmospheric Aerosols over Siberia

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Jost Heintzenberg
• Subject Area: Atmospheric Science
• Term: from 2008 to 2013
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 59451000

Siberia is currently poorly represented in the system of global atmospheric observations. The lack of surface-based observations concerns especially the properties and potential climate effects of atmospheric aerosol particles. The lack of observations is highly contradictory to the global relevance of the Siberian land mass as a source and sink for aerosol particles, and their role for the global radiation budget. The major natural aerosol sources over Siberia include forest fires, as well as secondary aerosol formation from gaseous precursors. We seek financial assistance from the DFG in order to explore the spatiotemporal variation of atmospheric aerosol particles as well as their fundamental sources and processes over Siberia. The experimental basis for the project is designed to be the continuous biennial physical characterization of the size distribution of aerosol particles, as well as their chemical analysis, notably focusing on inorganic ions, elemental and organic carbon and organic tracer species. Samples are to be taken from a 300 m tall meteorological tower, which was erected 2006 near Zotino, Russia, in the heart of the Siberian ecosystem. At this observation site, anthropogenic influences are of minor importance, so that the aerosols sampled are representative for a very large spatial area. Measurements at 50 and 300 m are planned to compare aerosol concentrations at these levels and conclude on the activity of near-surface source processes. Physical and chemical aerosol parameters, notably a suite of organic tracer species are to be used to separate the influence of biomass burning (forest fires) and secondary organic aerosol formation, both from biogenic as well as anthropogenic precursors. Meteorological model calculations are to be used to allocate the measured the aerosol properties and production rates to climatologically relevant air masses as well as distinct source regions in Eurasia. Based on the sum of measured data and by means of a one-dimensional radiative transfer model the direct radiative aerosol forcing over the site and regionally (with cloud-free back trajectories) will be estimated.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants