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Wide-spread Occurrence and Increasing Trend of Biogenic Aerosol Precursors in the Arctic Ocean Simulated by an Ocean Biogeochemical Model
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  • Moritz Zeising,
  • Laurent Oziel,
  • Özgur Gürses,
  • Judith Hauck,
  • Bernd Heinold,
  • Svetlana Losa,
  • Silke Thoms,
  • Manuela van Pinxteren,
  • Christoph Völker,
  • Sebastian Zeppenfeld,
  • Astrid Bracher
Moritz Zeising
Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Laurent Oziel
Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- un Meeresforschung
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Özgur Gürses
Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research
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Judith Hauck
Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research
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Bernd Heinold
Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research
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Svetlana Losa
Alfred Wegener Inst Polar & Marine Res
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Silke Thoms
Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and marine Research
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Manuela van Pinxteren
Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research
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Christoph Völker
Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research
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Sebastian Zeppenfeld
Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research
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Astrid Bracher
Alfred Wegener Institute
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Abstract

Biogenic aerosol precursors from phytoplankton production can affect cloud properties, especially in remote regions such as the Arctic Ocean. Reliable estimates on variability and trend of these precursors are required as extensive measurements in the Arctic are still scarce. We present a setup of the coupled ocean biogeochemical model FESOM2.1-REcoM3 where we integrated dissolved carboxylic acid containing polysaccharides (PCHO) and Transparent Exopolymer Particles (TEP) to describe these precursors in the upper ocean. We define PCHO as one part of the excreted organic carbon, which can then aggregate to form larger particles, TEP. Compared to observations, the simulation provides a valid TEP estimate with mean concentrations of 200-400 µg C L-1 on the continental shelves and 10-50 µg C L-1 in the central basins (0-30 m depth range). Further, the simulation for 1990-2019 reveals a significant positive trend of TEP of 0.5-3 µg C L-1 yr-1 during July-September in the Amerasian Basin (+3.5% yr-1), the Canadian Archipelago (+1.2% yr-1) and the Kara Sea (+0.8% yr-1), in contrast to the eastern Fram Strait (-0.4% yr-1), the Barents Sea (-0.3% yr-1), and parts of the Eurasian Basin with a significant decrease of -0.5-2 µg C L-1 yr-1. Our study provides for the first time an integration of TEP formation, aggregation and remineralization processes into a global ocean biogeochemical model. This simulation assembles valuable data on biogenic aerosol precursors, and as such, fills a gap on which Earth System Models can greatly benefit to improve the understanding of aerosol feedbacks within the Arctic climate.
05 May 2023Submitted to ESS Open Archive
05 May 2023Published in ESS Open Archive