Unprecedented Atmospheric Ammonia Concentrations Detected in the High Arctic From the 2017 Canadian Wildfires
Authors:Lutsch, ErikStrong, KimberlyJones, Dylan B. A.Ortega, IvanHannigan, James W.Dammers, EnricoShephard, Mark W.Morris, EleanorMurphy, KillianEvans, Mathew J.Parrington, MarkWhitburn, SimonVan Damme, MartinClarisse, LievenCoheur, Pierre-FrancoisClerbaux, CathyCrofts, BettyMartin, Randall, VPierce, Jeffrey R.Fisher, Jenny A.
Source:JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-ATMOSPHERES
Volume:124
Published:2019
Document Type:Article
Abstract:From 17-22 August 2017 simultaneous enhancements of ammonia (NH3), carbon monoxide (CO), hydrogen cyanide (HCN), and ethane (C2H6) were detected from ground-based solar absorption Fourier transform infrared (FTIR)spectroscopic measurements at two high-Arctic sites: Eureka (80.05 degrees N, 86.42 degrees W) Nunavut, Canada, and Thule (76.53 degrees N, 68.74 degrees W), Greenland. These enhancements were attributed to wildfires in British Columbia and the Northwest Territories of Canada using FLEXPART back-trajectories and fire locations from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and found to be the greatest observed enhancements in more than a decade of measurements at Eureka (2006-2017) and Thule (1999-2017). Observations of gas-phase NH3 from these wildfires illustrate that boreal wildfires may be a considerable episodic source of NH3 in the summertime high Arctic. Comparisons of GEOS-Chem model simulations using the Global Fire Assimilation System (GFASv1.2) biomass burning emissions to FTIR measurements and Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI)measurements showed that the transport of wildfire emissions to the Arctic was underestimated in GEOS-Chem. However, GEOS-Chem simulations showed that these wildfires contributed to surface layer NH3 and NH4+ enhancements of 0.01-0.11 ppbv and 0.05-1.07 ppbv, respectively, over the Canadian Archipelago from 15-23 August 2017.
Author Information
Corresponding Author:
Reprint Address:Lutsch, E (corresponding author), Univ Toronto, Dept Phys, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Addresses:[Lutsch, Erik; Strong, Kimberly; Jones, Dylan B. A.] Univ Toronto, Dept Phys, Toronto, ON, Canada. [Ortega, Ivan; Hannigan, James W.] Natl Ctr Atmospher Res, POB 3000, Boulder, CO 80307 USA. [Dammers, Enrico; Shephard, Mark W.] Environm & Climate Change Canada, Air Qual Div, Toronto, ON, Canada. [Morris, Eleanor; Murphy, Killian; Evans, Mathew J.] Univ York, Dept Chem, Wolfson Atmospher Chem Labs, York, N Yorkshire, England. [Parrington, Mark] European Ctr Medium Range Weather Forecasts ECMWF, Reading, Berks, England. [Whitburn, Simon; Van Damme, Martin; Clarisse, Lieven; Coheur, Pierre-Francois; Clerbaux, Cathy] Univ Libre Bruxelles, Atmospher Spect, Serv Chim Quant & Photophys, Brussels, Belgium. [Clerbaux, Cathy] Sorbonne Univ, UVSQ, CNRS, LATMOS IPSL, Paris, France. [Crofts, Betty; Martin, Randall, V] Dalhousie Univ, Dept Phys & Atmospher Sci, Halifax, NS, Canada. [Pierce, Jeffrey R.] Colorado State Univ, Dept Atmospher Sci, Ft Collins, CO 80523 USA. [Fisher, Jenny A.] Univ Wollongong, Ctr Atmospher Chem, Wollongong, NSW, Australia.
E-mail Addresses:elutsch@physics.utoronto.ca