Retrieval of Spectral Aerosol Optical Properties and Their Relationship to Aerosol Chemistry During ARCTAS

Aerosols are known to both absorb and scatter radiation at UV wavelengths with the degree of absorption/scattering largely dependent on aerosol chemistry. The interactions of aerosols with the UV radiation field were examined during the Arctic Research of the Composition of the Troposphere from Aircraft and Satellites (ARCTAS). Analysis focused on two case studies; one flight from the first phase of ARCTAS over Alaska and the Arctic ocean (Flight 10, April 2008) and the other from the second phase over northern Canada (Flight 17, June 2008). These flights were chosen based on availability of aircraft profiles through pollution layers and biomass burning smoke plumes with high loadings of organic aerosol during flight. Aerosol single scattering albedo (ω) was retrieved at near-UV (350-400nm) wavelengths at 1nm resolution from spectral actinic flux data collected aboard the NASA DC-8 aircraft during ARCTAS using two CCD Actinic Flux Spectroradiometers. Retrievals were performed using the Tropospheric Ultraviolet Model version 4.6 (TUV 4.6). Inputs of trace gas (e.g., NO2, SO2) concentrations, aerosol optical depth, location, time, pressure, etc. required by TUV were determined from ancillary aircraft measurements made from the DC-8. Values of ω were subsequently used to determine absorption optical depth (τabs) for each of the examined flights. Retrieval and calculation results were compared to aerosol optical properties in the visible (calculated from measurements of absorption and scattering aboard the DC-8) and the spectral dependencies characterized. Spectral ω and τabs were compared with aerosol chemistry data collected by an Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (AMS) to provide insight into the role of aerosol composition on absorption in the UV wavelength range. In particular, spectral dependencies were compared to the oxidation state of the organic aerosol (determined from AMS data) to examine the impact of aerosol processing/aging on spectral ω and τabs.