Black Carbon Sources Constrained by Observations in the Russian High Arctic

Understanding the role of short-lived climate forcers such as black carbon (BC) at high northern latitudes in climate change is hampered by the scarcity of surface observations in the Russian Arctic. In this study, highly time-resolved Equivalent BC (EBC) measurements during a ship campaign in the White, Barents, and Kara Seas in October 2015 are presented. The measured EBC concentrations are compared with BC concentrations simulated with a Lagrangian particle dispersion model coupled with a recently completed global emission inventory to quantify the origin of the Arctic BC. EBC showed increased values (100-400 ng m^-3) in the Kara Strait, Kara Sea, and Kola Peninsula and an extremely high concentration (1000 ng m^-3) in the White Sea. Assessment of BC origin throughout the expedition showed that gas-flaring emissions from the Yamal-Khanty-Mansiysk and Nenets-Komi regions contributed the most when the ship was close to the Kara Strait, north of 70° N. Near Arkhangelsk (White Sea), biomass burning in mid-latitudes, surface transportation, and residential and commercial combustion from Central and Eastern Europe were found to be important BC sources. The model reproduced observed EBC concentrations efficiently, building credibility in the emission inventory for BC emissions at high northern latitudes.