Black carbon (BC), the second most significant global warming contributor after CO2, is produced from the incomplete burning of fossil fuels and biomass. It increases the absorption of the solar radiation and reduces snow albedo, enhancing Arctic warming. This study examines elevated BC levels and the contribution of biomass burning to the BC (BB%) at Ny-Ålesund in the Svalbard Arctic region during 2023. Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) fire activities and wind back trajectories are used to examine the biomass burning effect and the sources of BC. The elevated BC concentration (48 ng m−3) and BB% (∼40%) occurred in April due to long-range transport, Arctic haze, and trajectories directly originating from the biomass burning area. Wet scavenging and Siberian fires also influenced BC mass, further affecting the Arctic climate.
The Arctic is experiencing catastrophic warming, three to four times faster when compared to the global average (Rantanen et al., 2022), known as Arctic amplification. Amplified warming has led to the significant melting of the Arctic cryosphere, decreasing the region's albedo and further accelerating warming. Changes in the Arctic are not confined to the region alone; they play a crucial role in the global climate system and can trigger worldwide climate changes (You et al., 2021). Recent studies indicate that Arctic amplification is closely linked to cold winters, heat waves, precipitation events, and large-scale circulation anomalies in the mid-latitudes (You et al., 2021).
The interaction of aerosols with radiation can create either positive or negative radiative forcing effects on the Earth system, which alters the radiation budget over the Arctic region. Black carbon (BC) originates from the incomplete combustion of carbonaceous material, fossil fuels, and biomass burning (BB). It creates positive radiative forcing and can warm the atmosphere by absorbing radiation. BC is the second most significant contributor to global warming after CO2 (Ramanathan and Carmichael, 2008). BC directly impacts the Earth's climate by interacting with solar radiation and indirectly by altering the microphysical properties of clouds and through rapid adjustments due to local atmospheric heating (Ramanathan and Carmichael, 2008). When BC is deposited on scattering surfaces such as snow/ice, these particles significantly reduce the local surface albedo, leading to warming and subsequently contributing to Arctic amplification.