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Model estimates of the concentrations of black carbon (BC) in the surface air at four sites located on Kola Peninsula, in Arkhangelsk region, and on the territories of Nenetz and Gydansky nature reserves were carried out for winter and summer 2000-2016 based on satellite data. The long-range atmospheric BC transport is analyzed by the author's methodology for calculating the function of sensitivity to potential sources of submicron aerosol for the sites under study based on the statistics of back trajectories of air mass transport. The contribution of anthropogenic sources to BC concentration in every region generally prevails over the contribution of natural fires. The BC concentration in surface air is maximal over the Nenets Nature Reserve and, hence, over the Pechora Sea, where the main sources of this impurity all year round are gas flares at the Russian largest oil and gas provinces. The average, median, and maximal values of BC concentrations in the surface air in winter and summer are calculated from its interannual variations due to differences in air mass circulation, as well as from spatial and interannual variations in BC emissions from wildfires.

The results of the analysis of seasonal and interannual variability of the aerosol optical depth of the atmosphere (AOD), the aerosol volume concentration, and the mass concentration of black carbon in the surface layer obtained at observations in Barentsburg (Spitzbergen archipelago) in 2011-2021 are presented. The annual behavior of all parameters is characterized by two maxima: spring (or winter-spring) and summer, apparently due to the transport of pollutants from the middle latitudes in the winter-spring period and smoke aerosol in summer. In the interannual variability, there are significant negative trends in the fine AOT component (-0.012 over 11 years) and the mass concentration of the absorbing substance (by 46.7 ng/m³ over 10 years).

The new coronavirus pneumonia has rapidly spread around the world. The World Health Organization emphasized that the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus spreads mainly between people who are in close contact with each other, as well as in the case of touching contaminated surfaces followed by touching the eyes, nose, or mouth without first cleaning the hands. Possible permanent sources of the spread of the virus can be gathering of patients in hospitals in the case of non-compliance with the requirements for organizing the functioning of a hospital. Meteorological conditions can be a key factor influencing the spread of the virus in the case of an accidental release of virus-containing aerosol from such a hospital. Simulations are carried out with modern methods for solving a system of differential equations of the atmospheric boundary layer, which are adapted to describe the distribution of harmful atmospheric impurities over a real complex terrain considering urban buildings of various heights, forests, reservoirs, changing meteorological conditions, and many other factors.

The paper presents the results of studies of the content of particulate matter PM₁ - PM₁₀ in the atmosphere of the western coast of South Baikal with high temporal resolution. It has been established that PM are emitted into the atmosphere of Southern Baikal from both anthropogenic and natural sources. In winter, the influence of thermal power engineering increases, as evidenced by synchronous increases in the concentrations of submicron aerosol PM₁ and sulfur dioxide. In summer, remote forest fires make a significant contribution to atmospheric pollution with particulate matter. The relationship between the increase in the concentration of PM₁ in the atmosphere in the region under study and mesometeorological features (temperature inversions and mesoscale transfer of plumes from large thermal power plants) has been revealed. Increases in PM₁ concentrations in most cases occur during the night and morning hours, which is associated with a decrease in the thickness of the atmospheric boundary layer.

This paper represents an approach based on analysis techniques (statistical, microscopic, verification) of data provided by aerosol optical sensors, diffusion aerosol spectrometer, aspirating air sampler, and optical microscopy. The particulate matter size distribution and PM_2.5 mass concentration are studied. The low-cost measurement tools are verified with expensive precise equipment. The results show a high correlation (from 0.92 to 0.98) between different tools. The combination of considered devices can become a basis for a multipoint aerosol monitoring network for a wide urban territory with relatively low expenses.

A comparative assessment of the concentrations of PM_2.5 in the surface atmosphere over the territory of the city and over the water area of the Yenisei River was carried out. It is shown for time periods from several days to two years that, with rare exceptions, pollution over the river is lower than over the territory of the city. This pattern persists during periods of unfavorable meteorological conditions and during pollution of the urban atmosphere by the smoke of forest fires.

The results of experimental determination of near-surface aerosol density for particles of different composition and size have been published over many years. Based on the generalization of these data, as well as the results of our own field observations of microphysical characteristics and composition of Moscow aerosol, an algorithm and parameters for numerical estimation of mass concentration of submicron and micron urban aerosol are suggested. Using this algorithm, on the basis of experimental data on the size distribution function of aerosol particles in the diameter range 0.3-10 microns obtained during regular observations at IAP RAS in Moscow in 2020-2022, the mass concentration of near-surface aerosol of various fractions was calculated. A comparative analysis of the results of such an assessment and the data of synchronous measurements of mass concentration of aerosol particles using a portable aerosol spectrometer GRIMM 1.108 over the past two years has shown a good correspondence between the calculated and measured values. Density values for four ranges of aerosol particle sizes are selected for more correct numerical estimation of the mass concentration of urban aerosol of fractions PM_2.5 and PM₁₀.

Lidar is an important tool for studying atmospheric aerosol; it is widely used in studying the propagation of aerosol pollution in the atmosphere. During environmental monitoring, especially with a mobile lidar, it is important not only to detect a pollutant, but also to determine the spatial coordinates of its source and the propagation dynamics. In the work, we suggest a technique for calculating the coordinates of an object under study from the lidar coordinates, sensing direction, and the distance between the lidar and the object. The software implementation of the technique and an example of its application in the design of an auxiliary lidar system are described.

Changes in the oxygen (δ¹⁸O) and hydrogen (δD) isotope compositions of precipitation in Tomsk in the period from 2016 to 2020 are studied. It is found that the δ¹⁸O value varies in the range from -39.6 to +2.1‰, the average value over the entire period is -18 ± 6.8‰; the δD value varies in the range from -299 to -4.9‰, the average value is -118.7 ± 54.7‰. A Local Meteoric Water Line is calculated for the period from 2016 to 2020: δD = 7.43δ¹⁸O + 11.2; this equation indicates the predominance of evaporative fractionation. The dependence of the isotope composition of precipitation on temperature in Tomsk is derived: +0.47‰/°C for the δ¹⁸O value and +3.62‰/°C for the δD value. The main regions that provide atmospheric precipitation with different isotope compositions to Tomsk are identified based on the analysis of the airmass backward trajectories.

Gases desorbed by the vacuum method from the tree rings of discs of deciduous trees are measured. The content of residual gases vacuum-desorbed from tree rings is analyzed with an opto-acoustic gas analyzer with a tunable CO₂ laser. The chronologies of residual CO₂ and (CO₂ + H₂O) of some deciduous trees growing near the city of Tomsk (West Siberia) have been derived. All the chronologies are cyclic with pronounced 2-4-year cycles. A correlation was found between the content of gases and summer temperatures and precipitation. We believe that the annual distribution of residual gases in the discs reflects the pattern of annual release of the gases from the stems of the deciduous trees into the atmosphere.