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Black Carbon in the Near-Surface Atmosphere Far Away from Emission Sources: Comparison of Measurements and MERRA-2 Reanalysis Data

  • OPTICS OF CLUSTERS, AEROSOLS, AND HYDROSOLES
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Abstract

We compare the time variations in monthly average concentrations of black carbon in the surface air layer obtained from field measurements ([BC]) and from MERRA-2 reanalysis ([BC]M) at four monitoring sites located in the northern part of Russia (Tiksi Observatory, Pechora-Ilych Biosphere Reserve), Alaska (Barrow station), and Greenland (Summit station). It is shown that the MERRA-2 reanalysis data for the regions of Tiksi and Barrow do not completely reflect the [BC] variations during the year, in contrast to the Pechora-Ilych Biosphere Reserve, where the discrepancies are within 30–50%. The [BC]M reanalysis products for the Summit monitoring site qualitatively agree with the measurements characterizing the BC content in the free troposphere, but they underestimate [BC] by more than a factor of two. On the whole, our analysis showed that the results of the MERRA-2 reanalysis of the monthly average indices of near-surface concentration of atmospheric black carbon can be used for climate assessments for hard-to-reach northern regions in the warm season with an error of about 30%. Possible causes for the discrepancies between [BC] and [BC]M are discussed for different times of the year and observation sites.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors would like to thank the organizers of websites http://giovanni.gsfc.nasa.gov, http://aeronet.gsfc.nasa.gov, and ftp://ftp1.esrl.noaa.gov/psd3/arctic/ for compiling information and providing the possibility for its free use.

Funding

This work was supported in part by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (grant no. 17-05-00245; preparation of experimental data and, in particular, measurements on the territory of Pechora-Ilych Biosphere Reserve) and carried out within State Assignment (analysis and comparison of measurements and reanalysis products).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. V.E. Zuev Institute of Atmospheric Optics, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, 634055, Tomsk, Russia

    T. B. Zhuravleva, A. V. Artyushina & Yu. V. Voronina

  2. Obukhov Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119017, Moscow, Russia

    A. A. Vinogradova

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  1. T. B. Zhuravleva
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  2. A. V. Artyushina
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  3. A. A. Vinogradova
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  4. Yu. V. Voronina
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Translated by O. Bazhenov

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Zhuravleva, T.B., Artyushina, A.V., Vinogradova, A.A. et al. Black Carbon in the Near-Surface Atmosphere Far Away from Emission Sources: Comparison of Measurements and MERRA-2 Reanalysis Data. Atmos Ocean Opt 33, 591–601 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1134/S1024856020060251

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