Gas flaring by the oil industry and smoke from residential
burning contributes more black carbon pollution to Arctic than previously
thought—potentially speeding the melting of Arctic sea ice and contributing to
the fast rate of warming in the region.
The new study, published in the journal Atmospheric
Chemistry and Physics by researchers at IIASA and in Norway, Finland, and
Russia, finds that gas flaring from oil extraction in the Arctic accounts for
42% of the black carbon concentrations in the Arctic, with even higher levels
during certain times of the year. In the month of March for example, the study
showed that flaring accounts for more than half of black carbon concentrations
near the surface. Globally, in contrast, gas flaring accounts for only 3% of
black carbon emissions.