The Arctic Haze Phenomenon

Abstract

The arctic atmosphere is the repository for surprisingly high concentrations of pollutants throughout the winter months. The polluted air mass in question includes virtually all the atmosphere above the Arctic Circle and also two great lobes that extend down over Eurasia and North America. In extent, this generally polluted airmass system is about as large as the African continent. The rather severe pollution throughout this airmass system in winter is, to a large extent, a result of the lowered rates of particle and gas removal in this cold, dark, and rather stable system. The arctic haze possibly has important climatic and ecological and global change implications that are coming under investigation in a number of planned studies.