Overvåking av ozonlaget og naturlig ultrafiolett stråling. Årsrapport 2019.

This report summarizes the results from the Norwegian monitoring programme on stratospheric ozone and UV radiation measurements. The ozone layer has been measured at three locations since 1979: In Oslo/Kjeller, Tromsø/Andøya and Ny-Ålesund. The UV measurements started in 1995. The results show that there was a significant decrease in stratospheric ozone above Norway between 1979 and 1997. After that, the ozone layer stabilized at a level ~2% below pre-1980 level. 2019 was characterized by low ozone values in April and an “ozone hole” in Southern Norway in December 2019.Denne rapporten presenterer resultatene fra det norske måleprogrammet for totalozon og UV-stråling. Ozonlaget har blitt målt ved tre stasjoner siden 1979: i Oslo/Kjeller, Tromsø/Andøya og Ny-Ålesund. UV-målinger startet i 1995. Resultatene viser at det var en signifikant ozonreduksjon over Norge i perioden 1979 til 1997. Deretter stanset reduksjonen og ozonverdiene stabiliserte seg på et nivå ~2% lavere enn verdiene før 1980. Mest karakteristisk for 2019 var et tynt ozonlag i april 2019 og et «ozonhull» over Sør-Norge i desember 2019.publishedVersio

Monitoring of the atmospheric ozone layer and natural ultraviolet radiation. Annual Report 2023

This report summarizes the results from the Norwegian monitoring programme on stratospheric ozone and UV radiation measurements. The ozone layer has been measured at three locations since 1979: In Oslo/Kjeller, Tromsø/Andøya and Ny-Ålesund. The UV measurements started in 1995. The results show that there was a significant decrease in stratospheric ozone above Norway between 1979 and 1997. After that, the ozone layer stabilized at a level ~2% below pre-1980 level. The year 2023 was characterized by low ozone values in winter, high spring values, and annual average total ozone values slightly below the long-term mean.publishedVersio

New insights in sources of the sub-micrometre aerosol at Mt. Zeppelin observatory (Spitsbergen) in the year 2015

In order to evaluate the potential impact of the Arctic anthropogenic emission sources it is essential to understand better the natural aerosol sources of the inner Arctic and the atmospheric processing of the aerosols during their transport in the Arctic atmosphere. A 1-year time series of chemically specific measurements of the sub-micrometre aerosol during 2015 has been taken at the Mt. Zeppelin observatory in the European Arctic. A source apportionment study combined measured molecular tracers as source markers, positive matrix factorization, analysis of the potential source distribution and auxiliary information from satellite data and ground-based observations. The annual average sub-micrometre mass was apportioned to regional background secondary sulphate (56%), sea spray (17%), biomass burning (15%), secondary nitrate (5.8%), secondary marine biogenic (4.5%), mixed combustion (1.6%), and two types of marine gel sources (together 0.7%). Secondary nitrate aerosol mainly contributed towards the end of summer and during autumn. During spring and summer, the secondary marine biogenic factor reached a contribution of up to 50% in some samples. The most likely origin of the mixed combustion source is due to oil and gas extraction activities in Eastern Siberia. The two marine polymer gel sources predominantly occurred in autumn and winter. The small contribution of the marine gel sources at Mt. Zeppelin observatory in summer as opposed to regions closer to the North Pole is attributed to differences in ocean biology, vertical distribution of phytoplankton, and the earlier start of the summer season

Composition and sources of carbonaceous aerosol in the European Arctic at Zeppelin Observatory, Svalbard (2017 to 2020)

We analyzed long-term measurements of organic carbon, elemental carbon, and source-specific organic tracers from 2017 to 2020 to constrain carbonaceous aerosol sources in the rapidly changing Arctic. Additionally, we used absorption photometer (Aethalometer) measurements to constrain equivalent black carbon (eBC) from biomass burning and fossil fuel combustion, using positive matrix factorization (PMF). Our analysis shows that organic tracers are essential for understanding Arctic carbonaceous aerosol sources. Throughout 2017 to 2020, levoglucosan exhibited bimodal seasonality, reflecting emissions from residential wood combustion (RWC) in the heating season (November to May) and from wildfires (WFs) in the non-heating season (June to October), demonstrating a pronounced interannual variability in the influence of WF. Biogenic secondary organic aerosol (BSOA) species (2-methyltetrols) from isoprene oxidation was only present in the non-heating season, peaking in July to August. Warm air masses from Siberia led to a substantial increase in 2-methyltetrols in 2019 and 2020 compared to 2017 to 2018. This highlights the need to investigate the contribution of local sources vs. long-range atmospheric transport (LRT), considering the temperature sensitivity of biogenic volatile organic compound emissions from Arctic vegetation. Tracers of primary biological aerosol particles (PBAPs), including various sugars and sugar alcohols, showed elevated levels in the non-heating season, although with different seasonal trends, whereas cellulose had no apparent seasonality. Most PBAP tracers and 2-methyltetrols peaked during influence of WF emissions, highlighting the importance of measuring a range of source-specific tracers to understand sources and dynamics of carbonaceous aerosol. The seasonality of carbonaceous aerosol was strongly influenced by LRT episodes, as background levels are extremely low. In the non-heating season, the organic aerosol peak was as influenced by LRT, as was elemental carbon during the Arctic haze period. Source apportionment of carbonaceous aerosol by Latin hypercube sampling showed mixed contributions from RWC (46 %), fossil fuel (FF) sources (27 %), and BSOA (25 %) in the heating season. In contrast, the non-heating season was dominated by BSOA (56 %), with lower contributions from WF (26 %) and FF sources (15 %). Source apportionment of eBC by PMF showed that FF combustion dominated eBC (70±2.7 %), whereas RWC (22±2.7 %) was more abundant than WF (8.0±2.9 %). Modeled BC concentrations from FLEXPART (FLEXible PARTicle dispersion model) attributed an almost equal share to FF sources (51±3.1 %) and to biomass burning. Both FLEXPART and the PMF analysis concluded that RWC is a more important source of (e)BC than WF. However, with a modeled RWC contribution of 30±4.1% and WF of 19±2.8 %, FLEXPART suggests relatively higher contributions to eBC from these sources. Notably, the BB fraction of EC was twice as high as that of eBC, reflecting methodological differences between source apportionment by LHS and PMF. However, important conclusions drawn are unaffected, as both methods indicate the presence of RWC- and WF-sourced BC at Zeppelin, with a higher relative BB contribution during the non-heating season. In summary, organic aerosol (281±106 ng

Screening Programme 2022. New environmental pollutants.

Prosjektleder: Cathrine Brecke GundersenThe 2022 Screening Programme followed up on some findings from the 2020 Screening Programme. This included further investigation of plastic-related substances, tyre-related substances, and disinfection agents. The 2022 Programme also included additional new PFAS, bisphenols, and new siloxanes.Norwegian Environment AgencypublishedVersio

SHIPMATE - Ship traffic particulate matter emissions. Final project report.

In the SHIPMATE project, we have carried out measurements of a large number of pollutants and aerosol components at the Mt. Zeppelin observatory during 2014 and 2015, with focus on the summer period (April to September). The aims were 1) identification of the particulate matter (PM) contribution from ship emissions by source apportionment and 2) isolation of data records influenced by local ship emissions in order to preserve the usefulness of the observatory for regional trends of atmospheric constituents. A total of 8 potentially ship-influenced 3-day sampling intervals were found in the analysis of the wind direction record and the harbour calls from Ny-Ålesund (2014 and 2015). The local shipping pollution contributed significantly (≥50%) to the concentration levels of certain heavy metals such as Cu, Ni, Zn and Cd during the two summers. This is supported by the enrichment factors analysis. However, the influence of local pollution from shipping on the measurements carried out at the Mt. Zeppelin observatory is rather infrequent

Monitoring of the atmospheric ozone layer and natural ultraviolet radiation. Annual Report 2018.

This report summarizes the results from the Norwegian monitoring programme on stratospheric ozone and UV radiation measurements. The ozone layer has been measured at three locations since 1979: in Oslo, Tromsø/Andøya and Ny-Ålesund. The UV measurements started in 1995. The results show that there was a significant decrease in stratospheric ozone above Norway between 1979 and 1997. After that the ozone layer stabilized at a level ~2% below pre-1980 level. 2018 was characterized by low summer ozone values in Oslo and a record high annual integrated UV-dose

Monitoring of the atmospheric ozone layer and natural ultraviolet radiation. Annual Report 2019.

This report summarizes the results from the Norwegian monitoring programme on stratospheric ozone and UV radiation measurements. The ozone layer has been measured at three locations since 1979: In Oslo/Kjeller, Tromsø/Andøya and Ny-Ålesund. The UV measurements started in 1995. The results show that there was a significant decrease in stratospheric ozone above Norway between 1979 and 1997. After that, the ozone layer stabilized at a level ~2% below pre-1980 level. 2019 was characterized by low ozone values in April and an “ozone hole” in Southern Norway in December 2019