Combustion-generated carbon particles in the Arctic atmosphere

Abstract

Recent studies in the Alaskan Arctic^1–3 show the presence of substantial concentrations of carbon- and sulphur-containing particles that seem to be characteristic of the Arctic region as a whole^4–6. These particles are effective scatterers and absorbers of visible radiation^3,7 and appear to be responsible for the phenomenon of Arctic haze first reported by Mitchell⁸. On the basis of trace element analysis, it has been suggested that these particles originate from anthropogenic sources at mid-latitudes^1,4. Direct substantiation of combustion-generated particles in the Arctic atmosphere has been provided by the identification of large concentrations of graphitic carbon particles at the GMCC–NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) observatory near Barrow, Alaska, using Raman spectroscopy³. We report here on an extension of our studies of carbon particles in the Alaskan Arctic to the Canadian Arctic and the Norwegian Arctic. These studies, using the Raman scattering technique, identify substantial concentrations of graphitic carbon particles at ground-level stations throughout the western Arctic.