Active thermokarst regions contain rich sources of ice-nucleating particles

Rapid Arctic climate warming, amplified relative to lower-latitude regions, has led to permafrost thaw and associated thermokarst processes. Recent work has shown permafrost is a rich source of ice-nucleating particles (INPs) that can initiate ice formation in supercooled liquid clouds. Since the ph...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Atmospheric chemistry and physics 2023-12, Vol.23 (24), p.15783-15793
Main Authors: Barry, Kevin R, Hill, Thomas C. J, Nieto-Caballero, Marina, Douglas, Thomas A, Kreidenweis, Sonia M, DeMott, Paul J, Creamean, Jessie M
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Active layer
Aerosols
All terrain vehicles
Arctic climates
Arctic clouds
Climate change
Cloud formation
Clouds
Energy budget
Force and energy
Global warming
Ice formation
Ice nucleation
Organic carbon
Parameterization
Permafrost
Sediments
Surface energy
Surface properties
Thermokarst
Total organic carbon
Tundra
Vegetation
Weather
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Summary:Rapid Arctic climate warming, amplified relative to lower-latitude regions, has led to permafrost thaw and associated thermokarst processes. Recent work has shown permafrost is a rich source of ice-nucleating particles (INPs) that can initiate ice formation in supercooled liquid clouds. Since the phase of Arctic clouds strongly affects the surface energy budget, especially over ice-laden surfaces, characterizing INP sources in this region is critical. For the first time, we provide a large-scale survey of potential INP sources in tundra terrain where thermokarst processes are active and relate to INPs in the air. Permafrost, seasonally thawed active layer, ice wedge, vegetation, water, and aerosol samples were collected near Utqiaġvik, Alaska, in late summer and analyzed for their INP contents. Permafrost was confirmed as a rich source of INPs that was enhanced near the coast. Sensitivity to heating revealed differences in INPs from similar sources, such as the permafrost and active layer. Water, vegetation, and ice wedge INPs had the highest heat-labile percentage. The aerosol likely contained a mixture of known and unsurveyed INP types that were inferred as biological. Arctic water bodies were shown to be potential important links of sources to the atmosphere in thermokarst regions. Therefore, a positive relationship found with total organic carbon considering all water bodies gives a mechanism for future parameterization as permafrost continues to thaw and drive regional landscape shifts.
ISSN:1680-7324
1680-7316
1680-7324
DOI:10.5194/acp-23-15783-2023