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The complex response of Arctic aerosol to sea-ice retreat

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Browse, J., Carslaw, K. S., Mann, G. W., Birch, C. E., Arnold, S. R., Leck, C.·2014·Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics
DOI 10.5194/acp-14-7543-2014

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Abstract

Abstract. Loss of summertime Arctic sea ice will lead to a large increase in the emission of aerosols and precursor gases from the ocean surface. It has been suggested that these enhanced emissions will exert substantial aerosol radiative forcings, dominated by the indirect effect of aerosol on clouds. Here, we investigate the potential for these indirect forcings using a global aerosol microphysics model evaluated against aerosol observations from the Arctic Summer Cloud Ocean Study (ASCOS) campaign to examine the response of Arctic cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) to sea-ice retreat. In response to a complete loss of summer ice, we find that north of 70° N emission fluxes of sea salt, marine primary organic aerosol (OA) and dimethyl sulfide increase by a factor of ~ 10, ~ 4 and ~ 15 respectively. However, the CCN response is weak, with negative changes over the central Arctic Ocean. The weak response is due to the efficient scavenging of aerosol by extensive drizzling stratocumulus clouds. In the scavenging-dominated Arctic environment, the production of condensable vapour from oxidation of dimethyl sulfide grows particles to sizes where they can be scavenged. This loss is not sufficiently compensated by new particle formation, due to the suppression of nucleation by the large condensation sink resulting from sea-salt and primary OA emissions. Thus, our results suggest that increased aerosol emissions will not cause a climate feedback through changes in cloud microphysical and radiative properties.

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  • Disentangling the effects of increased greenhouse trace gases from Arctic dimming remains subject to large uncertainties because aerosol-cloud interactions and greenhouse-cloud feedbacks are difficult to simulate and Arctic aerosol-cloud interactions are not fully understood.

    “However, disentangling the effects of increased greenhouse trace gases from AD remains subject to large uncertainties as aerosol-cloud interactions and greenhouse-cloud feedbacks are difficult to simulate in climate models, and Arctic aerosol-cloud interactions are not fully understood (Browse et al ., 2014).”

    From Ecological and conceptual consequences of Arctic pollution (2020) · cites this paper as Browse et al., 2014

    The Conclusions (page not available in our copy) describe significant uncertainty in Arctic aerosol-cloud processes and say current climate models are unlikely to represent them adequately. The paper does not address disentangling greenhouse-gas effects from Arctic dimming or the difficulty of simulating greenhouse-cloud feedbacks, so those parts of the attributed claim are unsupported. (LLM, conf=0.86)

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Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Browse, J., Carslaw, K. S., Mann, G. W., Birch, C. E., Arnold, S. R., & Leck, C.
Affiliations
  • University of Leeds (GB)
  • Stockholm University (SE)
ORCID
Venue
Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics
Publisher
Copernicus GmbH
Published
2014-07-29
Volume
14
Issue
14
Pages
7543-7557
ISSN
  • 1680-7316 (ISSN-L)
  • 1680-7324
DOI
10.5194/acp-14-7543-2014
OpenAlex
W2037830437
Cited by
104
References
0
Citations by year
2026: 4 · 2025: 9 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 17 · 2021: 12 · 2020: 6 · 2019: 12 · 2018: 7 · 2017: 10 · 2016: 10 · 2014: 1 · 2013: 1
FWCI
5.79
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Atmospheric chemistry and physics (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • White Rose Research Online (University of Leeds, The University of Sheffield, University of York) (acceptedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
  • Figshare (submittedVersion)
  • Open Research Exeter (University of Exeter) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
Funders
  • Polarforskningssekretariatet
  • European Commission (603445)
  • Met Office
  • Knut och Alice Wallenbergs Stiftelse
  • Vetenskapsrådet
  • Sixth Framework Programme
  • Natural Environment Research Council (ncas10009, NE/I028858/1)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Global and Planetary Change › Atmospheric aerosols and clouds
  • Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Atmospheric Science › Atmospheric chemistry and aerosols
  • Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Oceanography › Marine and coastal ecosystems
Keywords
Arctic sea ice decline, sea salt aerosol, dimethyl sulfide, cloud condensation nuclei, aerosol indirect effect, aerosol radiative forcing, aerosol scavenging, stratocumulus clouds, new particle formation, condensation sink

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