By Jai Prakash Chaubey,* S Suresh Babu,V
K Krishna Moorthy,◆ Mukunda M Gogoi,F
Manoj M R,■ Anoop Tiwari• and K Satheesan•
*Senior Research Fellow, Space Physics Laboratory, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Indian Space Research Organisation, Thiruvananthapuram, India.
Email: jaiprakash.spl@gmail.com
VScientist/ Engineer, Space Physics Laboratory, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, and Project Manager, ARFI and ICARB Projects, Indian Space Research Organisation-Geosphere Biosphere Programmes, Thiruvananthapuram, India.
◆Director, Space Physics Laboratory, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Indian Space Research Organisation, Thiruvananthapuram, India.
FScientist, Space Physics Laboratory, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Indian Space Research Organisation, Thiruvananthapuram, India.
■Senior Research Fellow, Space Physics Laboratory, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Indian Space Research Organisation, Thiruvananthapuram, India.
•Scientists, National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research, Vasco-da-Gama, Goa, India.
After the launch of Indian Arctic Expedition and establishment of the Indian station Himadri (78o9'N, 11o9'E; Ny Ålesund, Svalbard) in Year 2007, during the International Polar Year (IPY), there were scattered measurements of atmospheric aerosols by few Indian groups which generated data (only summer months) but planned measurements and long term data were lacking. Keeping all the information and knowledge gaps in the background and taking cue from a month-long campaign-based measurements during the 4th Indian Arctic Expedition, 2010, from Gruvebadet (a place slightly away from Himadri and also away from the town area of Ny Ålesund), a long term measurement programme was formulated and executed during the 5th Indian Arctic Expedition. This involves continuous measurements of distinct aerosol properties round the year from Gruvebadet, with intense measurements during the summer months. Measurements of black carbon (BC) mass concentration, scattering coefficient (σsc) of aerosols are being made continuously while the total mass concentration (MT) of composite aerosols, columnar aerosol optical depth (AOD) and number size distributions (NSD) were made during the summer months. These measurements generated year round data from the Arctic, the first effort of India for any polar region (Arctic and Antarctic). These data have added to the already existing database of the Arctic and at the same time, preliminary analysis provides many new insights. This includes the effect of local activities on the aerosol within boundary layer, giving a weak diurnal variation with daytime high concentrations of BC, AOD, MT, BC and σsc showed a slight decreasing trend from June to August, indicating the pristine nature of Arctic atmosphere during summer.
Introduction Polar regions are expected to provide an early signal of global warming and change in the Earth’s climate system, due to feedback effects associated with the high albedo of snow and ice (Alterskjaer et al., 2010; Shindell, 2008; Wang and Key, 2005; Chaubey et al., 2010). Although snow and ice albedo feedbacks are the key concern in the polar region, distribution of aerosols in the atmosphere is also an important factor in controlling the Earth’s radiation budget and affecting snow and...
