The Southern Ocean has been identified as one of the key regions that need aerosol measurements to improve our models of global climate change.  The contribution of marine aerosol emissions to the Earth’s atmosphere provides the basis for understanding natural variations, their feedbacks, and assessing the role of anthropogenic activities on Earth’s climate.  Yet, aerosol forcings are still the largest uncertainties in understanding the Earth’s natural climate; in part, because there are relatively few in-situ observations of aerosols, particularly in the Southern Ocean owing to technical limits in our ability to make aerosol measurements in harsh environments. 

To address these issues, we deployed miniaturized aerosol instruments in compact, integrated packages (PAEROS, Portable AERosol Observing System) onboard a research vessel crossing the Drake Passage and at Palmer Station on the Antarctic Peninsula for an austral spring/summer to measure temporal and spatial variability of aerosols. These measurements were evaluated for their relationship to meteorological, ocean surface and biological parameters. Data was collected continuously over a six month period from early October 2013 through mid-March 2014. The study coincided with the thawing of the coastal ice pack and the bloom of biological activity that occurs during the short austral summer. Given that the Antarctic Peninsula reaches far up into the Southern Ocean, measurements taken at Palmer Station offer a glimpse of both marine and Antarctic aerosols depending upon large-scale weather conditions.  In addition, ship traffic, which is mainly associated with the increasing number of tourism ships each year, appears to be affecting the pristine atmospheric conditions expected in the region.

Last Modified: 07/31/2015
Modified by: Gregory C Roberts