Impacts of sea ice leads on sea salt aerosols and atmospheric chemistry in the Arctic

Emme, Erin J.; Horowitz, Hannah M.

doi:https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-4531-2025

Articles | Volume 25, issue 8

https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-4531-2025

© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-4531-2025

© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Articles | Volume 25, issue 8

Research article

|

24 Apr 2025

Research article |

| 24 Apr 2025

Impacts of sea ice leads on sea salt aerosols and atmospheric chemistry in the Arctic

Erin J. Emme and Hannah M. Horowitz

Supplement

https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-4531-2025-supplement

Data sets

Model Output Datasets E. Emme and H. Horowitz https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14611355

Integrated Climate Data Center (ICDC) AMSR-E Arctic lead area fraction https://www.cen.uni-hamburg.de/en/icdc/data/cryosphere/lead-area-fraction-amsre.html

NOAA PMEL Aerosol Chemistry Station Data P. Quinn https://saga.pmel.noaa.gov/data/stations/

Model code and software

geoschem/GCClassic: GEOS-Chem 13.2.1 (13.2.1) The International GEOS-Chem User Community https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5500717

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Short summary

There is uncertainty in the sources of Arctic cold-season (November–April) sea salt aerosols. Using a chemical transport model and satellite observations, we quantify Arctic-wide sea salt aerosol emissions from fractures in sea ice, called open sea ice leads, and their atmospheric chemistry impacts for the cold season. We show that sea ice leads contribute to Arctic sea salt aerosols and bromine, especially in under-observed regions.