Departmental Seminar on 25.03.2026

The Arctic region is experiencing warming at a rate two to three times greater than the global average. This phenomenon, known as Arctic amplification (AA), has attracted significant scientific attention in recent decades. However, the influence of aerosols on AA remains highly uncertain, primarily because of limited chemically resolved aerosol data from the region. The Arctic atmosphere serves as a complex receptor for transboundary pollutants, with its composition shaped by chemical transformations and transport processes. Therefore, identifying the chemical composition and sources of aerosols is essential for evaluating their impacts on AA. The present study investigates the chemical composition of aerosols in the Arctic Ocean and identifies their sources and source regions. Two high-volume samplers were deployed in parallel during the second Turkish Arctic Scientific Expedition, conducted from 6 to 23 July 2023, aboard the icebreaker Polar Xplorer. One sampler collected daily PM10 samples, while the other collected size-segregated aerosols (>7.2, 3.0–7.2, 1.5–3.0, 0.95–1.5, 0.49–0.95, and <0.49 μm) over 48- to 96-hour intervals. The samples were analyzed using various analytical techniques to quantify a broad range of parameters, including major ions, elements, carbonaceous components, and selected PBDE congeners. The findings of the TASE II aerosol project will be presented in this seminar.