Investigating trends in sea ice leads and their relationship with sea salt aerosol in the arctic

Hunter, Hope

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/116266 Copy

Description

Title

Investigating trends in sea ice leads and their relationship with sea salt aerosol in the arctic

Author(s)

Hunter, Hope

Issue Date

2022-07-19

Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)

Horowitz, Hannah M

Department of Study

Civil & Environmental Eng

Discipline

Environ Engr in Civil Engr

Degree Granting Institution

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Degree Name

M.S.

Degree Level

Thesis

Keyword(s)

• sea ice
• sea ice lead
• sea salt aerosol
• aerosol
• Arctic
• atmospheric chemistry

Abstract

Aerosols in the Arctic have the potential to alter the climate through interactions with clouds and radiation. Sea salt is a highly prominent aerosol in the Arctic and, during colder months, sea ice leads are particularly important sources of them. We analyze trends in sea ice leads surrounding three research stations within the Arctic during the November-April season spanning the years 2002/2003- 2010/2011. High lead fraction and low lead fraction days are determined based on statistical analysis and sodium concentrations are paired within these categorical groups. We find statistically significant differences between the distributions of sea salt aerosols during multiple months. Differences were also found between the distributions of sea salt aerosols during the overall study period matched with leads at both a 50- and 100-km radius from the sampling sites. These results imply that the presence of sea ice leads impacts the surrounding concentration of sea salt aerosols.

Graduation Semester

2022-08

Type of Resource

Thesis

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 2022 Hope Hunter

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