Light-absorbing snow impurity concentrations measured on Northwest Greenland ice sheet in 2011 and 2012

• AOKI Teruo

  Meteorological Research Institute Meteorological Research Institute

• MATOBA Sumito

  Institute of Low Temperature Science, Hokkaido University Institute of Low Temperature Science, Hokkaido University

• YAMAGUCHI Satoru

  Snow and Ice Research Center, National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Prevention Snow and Ice Research Center, National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Prevention

• TANIKAWA Tomonori

  Earth Observation Research Center, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency Earth Observation Research Center, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency

• NIWANO Masashi

  Meteorological Research Institute Meteorological Research Institute

• KUCHIKI Katsuyuki

  Meteorological Research Institute Meteorological Research Institute

• ADACHI Kouji

  Meteorological Research Institute Meteorological Research Institute

• UETAKE Jun

  Transdisciplinary Research Integration Center Transdisciplinary Research Integration Center National Institute of Polar Research National Institute of Polar Research

• MOTOYAMA Hideaki

  National Institute of Polar Research National Institute of Polar Research

• HORI Masahiro

  Earth Observation Research Center, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency Earth Observation Research Center, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency

Bibliographic Information

Other Title

• Light-absorbing snow impurity concentrations measured on Northwest Greenland ice sheet in 2011 and 2012（2011年及び2012年に北西グリーンランド氷床上で観測された光吸収性積雪不純物濃度）

Abstract

Light-absorbing snow impurities of elemental carbon (EC), organic carbon (OC), and mineral dust have been measured at three locations at elevations from 1,469 to 1,992 m on August 1, 2011, and at the site SIGMA-A (78°N, 68°W, elevation 1,490 m) on the northwest Greenland ice sheet (GrIS) during the period from June 28 to July 12, 2012.　At SIGMA-A, a remarkable snow surface lowering together with snow melting was observed during the observation period in 2012, when a record surface melting event occurred over the GrIS. The concentrations in the surface were 0.9, 3.8, and 107 ppbw for EC, OC, and dust, respectively, at the beginning of the period, which increased to 4.9, 17.2, and 1327 ppbw for EC, OC, and dust, respectively, at the end.　The EC and dust concentrations were remarkably higher than those at the three locations in 2011 and the recent measurements at Summit.　However, our measurements for EC and OC could be underestimated because a recent study indicates that the collection efficiency of a quartz fiber filter, which we employed, is low.　We confirm that the snow surface impurity concentrations were enhanced in the observation period, which can be explained by the effects of sublimation/evaporation and snow melt amplification associated with drastic melting.　Scanning electron microscopy analysis of surface snow impurities on July 12 revealed that the major component of snow impurities is mineral dust with size larger than 5 μm, which suggests possible emission source areas are peripheral bare soil regions of Greenland and/or the Canadian Arctic.

Journal

• Bulletin of Glaciological Research

  Bulletin of Glaciological Research 32 (0), 21-31, 2014

  THE JAPANESE SOCIETY OF SNOW AND ICE

Keywords

• Greenland
• snow impurities
• black carbon
• dust
• sublimation

Details

• CRID: 1390001204664957440
• NII Article ID: 120005472231
• NII Article ID: 130004679717
• DOI: 10.5331/bgr.32.21
• ISSN: 18848044
• ISSN: 13453807
• HANDLE: 2115/56971
• Text Lang: en
• Data Source:
  • JaLC
  • IRDB
  • Crossref
  • CiNii Articles
  • KAKEN
• Abstract License Flag: Disallowed