Polar atmosphere-ice-ocean Interactions: Impact on Climate and Ecology (PI-ICE)

Abstract

PI-ICE (Polar atmosphere-ice-ocean Interactions: Impact on Climate and Ecology) studies the natural marine aerosol, which is of paramount importance at the global scale and influences the Earth’s radiative budget and the biogeochemical cycles. As climatic changes are rapidly amplifying in polar regions, understanding biogeochemical processes involved in the air-sea-ice interface is crucial to pinpoint climate feedbacks. PI-ICE aims to directly identify atmospheric aerosols emitted in the polar regions, their biological origin and their impact on the indirect radiative effect, with particular emphasis on the ice-water-atmosphere biogenic nitrogen cycle. This multidisciplinary project will (1) design, develop and construct a portable aerosol chamber to study the role of sea-water-air interactions in the formation of polar primary aerosols including newly formed particles and aerosolized biogenic toxins; (2) apportion the emissions of primary marine aerosols in the polar regions by means of laboratory studies; with particular emphasis on superficial waters impacted by ice melting and (3) obtain real time atmospheric data by collection of ambient aerosols at fixed platform (Antarctic base Juan Carlos I), allowing characterization of a wide range of ambient primary and secondary aerosols, including new particle formation and potentially aerosolized biogenic toxins