Modelling the coupled chemical cycling between sea ice, snow, and the atmosphere during Arctic spring

Interactions between the Arctic cryosphere and the atmosphere can drastically alter the chemical cycles within the lowest part of the atmosphere. This includes a reduction in the amount of ozone and mercury present over the Arctic Ocean during spring. In this study, the authors explored the impact of surface processes on sea ice/snow on the coupled ozone, mercury, and halogen chemical cycles in the Arctic. A new description of coupling between snow, ice, and aerosols for the Arctic mercury cycle was introduced to the Weather Research and Forecasting model coupled with Chemistry (WRF-Chem). This new model was used to predict Arctic atmospheric chemistry on an hourly timescale during the spring season of the MOSAiC expedition, simulating large-scale depletion of surface ozone and mercury over the Arctic Ocean. Ultimately, this advancement has the potential to improve predictions of the long-term consequences of climate change and sea ice loss on atmospheric chemistry and mercury contamination of Arctic ecosystem

Reference: Ahmed, S., Thomas, J.L., Angot, H. et al., (2023). Modelling the coupled chemical cycling between sea ice, snow, and the atmosphere during Arctic spring.  Elementa-Sci. Anthrop., 11(1), 00129. https://doi.org/10.1525/elementa.2022.00129