HR: 0800h
AN: A21C-0863 [Abstracts]
TI: Possible Effect of Black Carbon Wildfire Soot on Arctic Sea Ice and Alaska Glaciers
AU: * Kim, Y
EM: kimyw@iarc.uaf.edu
AF: International Arctic Research Center, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 930 Koyukuk Dr., Fairbanks, AK
99775-7335
United States
AU: Hatsushika, H
EM: hatusika@criepi.denken.or.jp
AF: Environmental Science Research Lab., Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry, 1646 Abiko,
Abiko, 270-1194
Japan
AU: Muskett, R M
EM: rmuskett@iarc.uaf.edu
AF: International Arctic Research Center, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 930 Koyukuk Dr., Fairbanks, AK
99775-7335
United States
AU: Yamazaki, K
EM: yamazaki@ees.hokudai.ac.jp
AF: Graduate School of Environemtnal Earth Science, Hokkaido University, N10 W5, Kita-ku, Sapporo, 060-0810
Japan
AB:
The role of black carbon (BC) soot in the Arctic as an agent of climate warming through forcing/feedback of sea ice/glacier
albedo is an uncertainty in need of addressing. In-situ measurements of BC-aerosols and gas byproducts from the FROSTFIRE
experiment burn, 8-11 July 1999, are used with a coupled high-resolution wind field/empirical fall-out model to assess
transport/dispersion and estimate deposition. Results suggest that BC-aerosols (soot) are quickly transported from central
Alaska to the Arctic Ocean region of multi-year sea ice and to southern Alaska glaciers, where up to 20% can be deposited.
The estimate of BC soot concentration from Alaska boreal wildfires favorably compares to in-situ sea-ice observations made in
1998 and snow albedo observation on Gulkana Glacier in 2001. We hypothesize that northern boreal wildfires are a possible
contributor in the reduction of first/multi-year sea ice/glacier extent by enhancing summer melting from albedo reduction.
Should the occurrence and severity of northern boreal wildfires continue as expected in summer 2004, more than 670 km2
burned as the worst wildfire year on record, there will be implications for climate warming.
DE: 0305 Aerosols and particles (0345, 4801, 4906)
DE: 0368 Troposphere: constituent transport and chemistry
DE: 0468 Natural hazards
DE: 0720 Glaciers
DE: 0750 Sea ice (4540)
SC: Atmospheric Sciences [A]
MN: Fall Meeting 2005