Peculiarities of spatial-temporal variability of the aerosol optical depth of the atmosphere over Kara and Baretns Seas in 2016

The results of measurements of the aerosol optical depth (AOD) of the atmosphere carried out in 66th and 67th cruises of RV “Akademik Mstislav Keldysh” (Kara and Barents Seas) and at Russian scientific center in Barentsburg (Svalbard) during polar summer of 2016 are analyzed. It is shown that the level of aerosol turbidity of the atmosphere was close to the long-term average data in arctic latitudes. The mean value of AOD(0.5 μm) obtained from shipborne measurements is 0.065±0.056 and analogous value in Barentsburg is 0.072±0.040. The smoke plumes of forest fires on the continent significantly affected the atmospheric turbidity during measurements. For example, the contribution of smoke aerosol in the mean value of AOD (0.5 μm) obtained onboard the ship is about 44%.