Summertime measurements of selected nonmethane hydrocarbons in the Arctic and Subarctic during the 1988 Arctic Boundary Layer Expedition (ABLE 3A)
Abstract
Approximatley 1000 whole air samples were collected and assayed for selected C2-C5 hydrocarbons during the 6-week Arctic Boundary Layer Expedition (ABLE 3A). Transit flights enabled latitudinal (40°N to 83°N) and longitudinal (70°W to 155°W) profiles to be obtained for altitudes between 4000 and 6000m yielding summertime background mixing ratios for ethane, ethyne, propane and n-butane of 1050±200, 100±40, 120±80 and 10±8 pptv, respectively. Drilling associated with oil exploration in the Alaskan North Slope area is suggested to be a probable source of the enhanced levels of alkanes observed in the Arctic region within a radius in excess of 300km from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska. A significant number of pollution plumes were encountered which could be attributed to wildfires. Factors describing the emissions caused by biomass burning relative to ethane for ethyne (0.40) and propane (0.08) were determined. -from Authors
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