AAAR 34th Annual Conference
October 12 - October 16, 2015
Hyatt Regency
Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Abstract View
Antarctic Aerosols: Sources and Meteorological Influences on Aerosol Composition as Measured with High Resolution Aerosol Mass Spectrometry
Michael Giordano, Lars Kalnajs, Terry Deshler, Anita Johnson, Sean Davis, PETER DECARLO, Drexel University
Abstract Number: 376 Working Group: Remote and Regional Atmospheric Aerosols
Abstract Antarctica, like most of the high latitudes, remains a source of uncertainty for the aerosol community. Access to the continent and an unforgiving climate make maintaining aerosol instrumentation difficult. Despite this, a number of studies have used filters to collect and analyze continental aerosol in Antarctica. Shipboard studies in the southern ocean have used real-time mass spectrometry data to determine Antarctic outflow aerosol composition. However, real-time, high-resolution aerosol composition data is still missing from the Southernmost Continent. The Two-Season, Ozone Depletion and Interaction with Aerosols Campaign (2ODIAC) deployed the first Aerodyne high resolution aerosol mass spectrometer (HR-AMS) to the continent to measure the size and composition of non-refractory aerosol. In addition, a full suite of meteorological, aerosol, and gas-phase instruments were also deployed near McMurdo station, Antarctica. Aerosol composition varied with air masses and from meteorological regime. High wind speed events from either the interior of the continent or the southern ocean influenced the gas and aerosol phase measurements. Data presented will primarily focus on the differences in aerosol composition between the two air mass regimes. The differences in particulate iodine, chloride, and sulfates (MSA and non-sea-salt) will also be discussed. The relationship between aerosol composition and particle number concentrations and ozone concentrations will be highlighted, and both particle bursts and ozone depletion events were observed during the campaign and will be discussed in relation to the “steady-state” (low wind speed) aerosol population. Finally, preliminary data in regards to the role of photochemistry, differences between Austral winter and summer aerosols in Antarctica, will be presented.