EESA09H3 Lecture 9: PART A- Wind & Pollution
18 Jul 2018
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Document Summary
Long range transport of pollutants in the arctic. Artic haze phenomenon of a visible reddish-brown springtime haze in the atmosphere @ high latitudes in the arctic due to anthropogenic air pollution. History: first noted in 1950s by aircraft pilots. Suggested long range transport as likely mechanism for source of arctic haze: seasonal variation peak in spring. Seasonal cycle on vertical distribution of arctic haze barrow, alaska: pooling appears to occur i(cid:374) ar(cid:272)ti(cid:272) (cid:271)/(cid:272) of . Stable atmosphere; temp. inversion (little precipitation/no washout of pollutants) Major source is eurasian = coal burning plants located further north: sinks are likely the arctic ocean + surrounding waters, global circulation carries in pollutants from industrialized parts of the globe. Constituents: sulfate lvls 10-20x larger, which = greater than normal (vanadium detected, mixed w/uncombusted carbon to form aerosol which blocks light + appears gray/brown- ish in colour. 90% sulphate, remainder is soot (carbon), dust: coal burning = maj. culprit.
