Fostering collaborative, interdisciplinary research on Arctic air pollution and its interactions with the Earth system and human societies
PACES is an IGAC-sponsored initiative, which aims to review existing knowledge and foster new research on the sources and fate of Arctic air pollution, its impacts on climate, health, and ecosystems, on the feedbacks between pollution and natural sources, on climate responses, and on societal perspectives, including sustainability, adaptation and economic feedbacks. PACES coordinates international research efforts on these topics in collaboration with existing and planned initiatives such as HTAP, AMAP, PEEX, YOPP, IASOA, MOSAiC and ArcticStar and motivates trans-disciplinary research related to Arctic air quality.
PACES is managed by two co-chairs and a scientific steering committee (SSC). There are two formal PACES working groups at this time.
WG1 is tasked with developing approaches to reduce model uncertainties regarding the processing and impacts of remote and local Arctic pollution sources. One approach currently under development is a targeted campaign using airborne and ground-based measurements to evaluate treatment of processes controlling evolution and loss of Arctic air pollution in models of climate and atmospheric composition, such as wet deposition.
WG2 focuses on the interaction between Arctic air pollution and societies. Approaches under consideration are observational studies guided by community concerns, investigation of local air quality in Arctic communities, and feedbacks between economic development, air pollution and environmental change in the Arctic.
Please visit pacesproject.org for more information.
Alaskan Layered Pollution And Chemical Analysis (ALPACA) White Paper (2018). Lead Authors: W. Simpson, K. Law, J. Schmale, K. Pratt, S. Arnold, and J. Mao, https://alpaca.community.uaf.edu/files/2018/11/ALPACA-whitepaper-30Nov2018.pdf.
The ALPACA study has been developed under the umbrella of PACES Working Group Two (WG2), which focuses on the interactions between Arctic air pollution and Arctic societies, and local sources of Arctic air pollution. The aim of ALPACA is to investigate emissions and chemical and meteorological influences on air pollution in Fairbanks, AK, USA. This study will shed light on the wintertime air pollution in many urban areas and areas affected by industrial activities in the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions.
Publications
Alaskan Layered Pollution And Chemical Analysis (ALPACA) White Paper (2018). Simpson, W., K.S. Law, J. Schmale, K.A. Pratt, S.R. Arnold, and J. Mao.
Local Arctic air pollution: A neglected but serious problem (2018), Schmale, J., S.R. Arnold, K.S. Law, T. Throp, S. Anenberg, W.R. Simpson, J. Mao, and K.A. Pratt. Earth's Future, 6, doi:10.1029/2018EF000952.
White Paper for IMPAACT: Investigation of Multiscale Processes Affecting Atmospheric Chemical Transport (2018). Brock, C., B. Anderson, E. Apel, M. Barth, T. Bates, O. Cooper, J. Crawford, J. de Gouw, J. Dibb, A. Fiore, E. Fischer, F. Flocke, C. Heald, D. Jacob, J. Jimenez, R. Moore, L. Jaeglé, D. Jaffe, J.-F. Lamarque, J. Mao, B. Pierce, P. Quinn, T. Ryerson, J. Schwarz, S. Tilmes, D. Toohey, and L. Ziemba
Arctic air pollution: Challenges and opportunities for the next decade. (2016). Arnold S, Law K, Brock C, Thomas J, Starkweather S, et al.Elementa Science for the Anthropocene, doi: 10.12952/journal.elementa.000104.