Monitoring optical properties of atmospheric aerosols at dome C, East Antarctic Plateau, provides insights into radiative transfer estimates
Year: 2025
Authors: Potenza MAC., Cremonesi L., Becagli S., Delmonte B., Del Guasta M., Ciardini V., Scarchilli C., Paroli B., Passerini A., Pullia A., Traversi R., Maggi V.
Autors Affiliation: Univ Milan, Dept Phys, Via Celoria 16, I-20133 Milan, Italy; Univ Milan, CIMaINa, Via Celoria16, I-20133 Milan, Italy; Univ Milano Bicocca, Dept Earth & Environm Sci, DISAT, I-20126 Milan, Italy; Univ Florence, Dept Chem Ugo Schiff, I-50019 Florence, Italy; CNR, Ist Nazl Ott, INO CNR, I-50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy; ENEA, Lab Models & Measurements Air Qual & Climate Obser, I-00123 Rome, Italy; Univ Milano Bicocca, Dept Phys, I-20126 Milan, Italy.
Abstract: Examining the composition of aerosols in Antarctic ice cores can provide insights into past atmospheric circulation. However, interpreting this data requires an understanding of the characteristics and variability of present-day aerosols over time. In 2019, we performed the first year-round, multiparametric optical characterisation of atmospheric aerosols at Concordia Station in East Antarctica using OPTAIR, a novel instrument based on the Single Particle Extinction and Scattering (SPES) technique. We compared this data with the chemical composition of PM10 samples collected at the site and with meteorological data. We also compared it with synchronous data from a LIDAR and a ceilometer operating at Concordia Station. Significant temporal irregularities were observed in the atmospheric aerosol load, with more than one-third of the particles being dry-deposited during brief air mass subsidence events (’spikes’), which mainly occurred in winter. The aerosol particles detected during these events were primarily composed of sea salt. Their optical properties differ significantly depending on whether they originate from frost flowers or the open ocean. Due to the intermittent nature of aerosol advection to Antarctica and its radiative effect, we estimate that glaciological, time-integrated samples may lead to an overestimation of light extinction by a factor of 3.5 or more.
Journal/Review: SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
Volume: 15 (1) Pages from: 39793-1 to: 39793-14
More Information: Field measurements at Concordia Station were made possible by the joint French-Italian Concordia Program, which established and currently runs the permanent Concordia station at DomeC. We thank the Italian polar program PNRA (Programma Nazionale di Ricerca in Antartide) and the French Polar Institute (Institut Paul Emile Victor, IPEV). Dataset and information from the AWS and Ceilometer are achieved by the Italian Antarctic Meteo-Climatological Observatory (IAMCO) https://www.climantartide.it of the PNRA. This paper is a contribution to the PNRA16\_00231 project OPTAIR and PNRA 2015/AC3 LTCPAA (Long-Term Measurements of Chemical and Physical Properties of Atmospheric funded by the Italian National Antarctic Research Program (PNRA). This article is an outcome of Progetto TECLA – Dipartimenti di Eccellenza 2023-2027, funded by MUR. The authors gratefully acknowledge S. Albani, T. Sanvito, and M. Siano for fruitful discussions. This work is dedicated to the memory of our esteemed colleague Claudio Scarchilli.KeyWords: Sea-salt Aerosol; Size-segregated Aerosol; Ice Core; Refractive-index; Concordia Site; Mineral-dust; Aeolian Dust; Temperature; Absorption; ProvenanceDOI: 10.1038/s41598-025-23538-2
