In August 2022, maximum black carbon concentrations in the Arctic region reached 851 ng/m³, which is 85 times higher than background concentrations. The press service of Moscow State University (MGU) told Gazeta.ru that the reason for this was the record forest fires in Siberia last year.
MSU scientists found that smoke emissions from fires in Western Siberia, the northern and central regions of European Russia, as well as the steppe regions of the Eastern European Plain and the southern Urals make the largest contribution to the composition of the climatically active aerosol component. atmosphere.
During the combustion of biomass, aerosols are formed, the composition of which depends on the nature of natural fires. Moscow State University noted that black carbon is formed during intense combustion, and various organic carbon compounds appear during smoldering vegetation.
The scientists noted that the Arctic region is particularly susceptible to large-scale carbon emissions from both human activities and wildfires. Black carbon absorbs solar radiation well and contributes to warming the Arctic climate. The increase in the concentration of this element since the early 1980s has caused surface temperatures in the Arctic to rise by almost 0.3 °C.
ancient scientists approvedThe leaching of methane into the atmosphere is accelerating the melting of Arctic glaciers.