This master’s thesis focuses on estimating the contribution of biomass burning (BB) aerosol from regions in the northern hemisphere to smoke aerosol over Poland, crucial first step towards understanding the impact of BB aerosol on the physical properties of the atmosphere, the radiative budget, and air quality over Central Europe. Utilising data from the FLAMBE and NAAPS models, along with HYSPLIT simulations, we identify significant sources and seasonal variations of BB aerosol affecting Poland.
Our analysis reveals that Eastern Europe is the predominant contributor to AODsmoke in Poland, with contributions ranging from 34% to 41%, peaking in spring and early summer. Additionally, significant BB aerosol come from Canada (14% to 26%), from Iberian Peninsula (17% to 24%), from Southern Europe (10% to 15%), and from the USA (9% to 15%). These contributions are particularly notable during late summer.
The NAAPS data reveals that the highest AODsmoke values in Europe occur in Eastern Europe, particularly in spring and early summer, which aligns with FLAMBE results indicating Eastern Europe’s significant impact. In Poland, there is a decreasing trend in both the absolute value of AODsmoke (-0.0025/decade) and the AODsmoke to AOD ratio in Warsaw (-0.024/decade). Interestingly, the AODsmoke to AOD ratio for the entire period, without restricting to May- September, shows an increasing trend (0.006/decade). The highest AODsmoke values in Poland are observed in April and August, highlighting the need for further investigation into the origin of these high values, especially in April.
Our findings underscore the importance of detailed regional and monthly analyses within Poland to better understand local variations in AODsmoke. These results provide a foundation for future research aimed at developing understanding the broader impact of BB aerosol on Central European atmospheric conditions.