Source attribution of black carbon in Arctic snow.
Snow samples obtained at 36 sites in Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Russia, and the Arctic Ocean in early 2007 were analyzed for light-absorbing aerosol concentration together with a suite of associated chemical species. The light absorption data, interpreted as black carbon concentrations, and other chemical data were input into the EPA PMF 1.1 receptor model to explore the sources for black carbon in the snow. The analysis found four factors or sources: two distinct biomass burning sources, a pollution source, and a marine source. The first three of these were responsible for essentially all of the black carbon, with the two biomass sources (encompassing both open and closed combustion) together accounting for >90% of the black carbon.
Hegg
Dean A
DA
Department of Atmospheric Sciences, MC 351640, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA. deanhegg@atmos.washington.edu
Warren
Stephen G
SG
Grenfell
Thomas C
TC
Doherty
Sarah J
SJ
Larson
Timothy V
TV
Clarke
Antony D
AD
D000393:Air Pollutants; D000397:Air Pollution / Q000032:analysis; D001110:Arctic Regions; D002244:Carbon / Q000737:chemistry*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D006116:Greenland; D009656:North America; D012426:Russia; D012914:Snow / Q000737:chemistry*
D000393:Air Pollutants; D002244:Carbon