ITS5.7/AS4.3 | Atmosphere-Ice-Ocean Interactions from Aerosols, Clouds, Biogeochemistry, and Climate Feedbacks in Polar Regions
EDI
Atmosphere-Ice-Ocean Interactions from Aerosols, Clouds, Biogeochemistry, and Climate Feedbacks in Polar Regions
Convener: Paul Zieger | Co-conveners: Julia Schmale, Jessie Creamean, Julia KojojECSECS, Freya SquiresECSECS, Markus Frey, Priscilla Mooney

The polar regions are undergoing unprecedented environmental changes with significant implications for global climate systems. Understanding the complex interactions between boundary layer processes, atmospheric physics, aerosols, clouds, and sea ice/ocean biogeochemistry is essential for improving predictions of future changes in these sensitive regions. This interdisciplinary session aims to unite researchers investigating exchange processes mediating interactions between the atmosphere, snow, sea ice, ocean, and land surfaces in both the Arctic and Antarctic.

The session focuses on boundary layer dynamics, surface-atmosphere exchanges, and the coupling between local and large-scale influences on polar climates. Key topics include the impacts of aerosols and clouds on radiative processes, precipitation, and energy budgets, as well as biogeochemical feedbacks within sea ice and ocean systems that interact with atmospheric components.

Topics of interest include:

- Boundary layer controls on heat, momentum, and mass exchanges, modulated by clouds and aerosols.
- Aerosol-cloud interactions and their effects on cloud microphysics, radiative properties, and polar precipitation.
- The influence of natural and anthropogenic aerosols, including sea salt, dust, biological particles, black carbon, and organics, on polar ecosystems and climate.
- Biogeochemical cycling in sea ice and oceans, feedbacks with aerosols and clouds, and climate implications.
- Observational and modeling approaches to better understand high-latitude atmospheric, oceanic, and cryospheric coupling.
- Insights from field campaigns (e.g., MOSAiC, ALPACA, ARTofMELT, POLAR CHANGE, MISO), observing networks, laboratory studies, and reanalysis efforts.
- The role of boundary layers in polar climate change, including the implications of decreasing sea ice, snow cover changes, and the increasing extent of first-year ice.
- Advances in modeling to represent polar processes and their interactions across scales.

This session fosters collaboration across atmospheric sciences, oceanography, biogeochemistry, and climate modeling, advancing understanding of interconnected polar processes and their teleconnections with mid-latitude weather and climate systems.