Results of the Study of Aerosol Characteristics in the Atmosphere of the Kara and Barents Seas in Summer and Autumn 2016

Measurement results of a complex of aerosol microphysical, chemical, and optical parameters in two cruises of the Akademik Mstislav Keldysh research vessel in 2016 are analyzed. The work was carried out in the Kara Sea from July 10 till August 20 and in the Barents Sea from August 25 till October 10. The mean values of the following aerosol characteristics are given: AOD of the atmosphere, fine and coarse components of AOD, number concentration of particles in the near-water air layer, mass concentrations of the absorbing matter (soot), water-soluble ions (Na+, Mg2+, Cl–, K+, Ca2+, \(\rm{NH}_4^+, \rm{NO}_3^-, \rm{SO}_4^{2-}\)), and gaseous admixtures (SO2, HCl, HNO3, and NH3). The characteristic particle size distribution functions are presented for different regions of the Kara and Barents Seas. It is shown that the levels of both aerosol turbidity of the atmospheric column (AOD) and the aerosol and soot concentrations in the near-water air layer were close to the long-term mean values in Arctic latitudes. The atmospheric turbidity during the period of measurements was noticeably affected by emissions of continental forest fire smokes. The contribution of smoke aerosol to, e.g., the mean shipborne-measured AOD at λ = 0.5 μm is about 44%.