Dalhousie University

Published purpose

The Arctic region is warming more than twice as fast as the rest of the planet and the role of clouds on the radiation budget still remains largely uncertain, especially in winter when the Arctic atmosphere is understudied. A wide range of factors could contribute, such as cloud phase (ice, liquid, mixed), cloud height and thickness, and atmospheric aerosol particles. The proposed research would work towards closing these gaps by characterizing clouds, snowfall, and aerosols in the Arctic winter as part of the POlar Night EXperiment, an aircraft and ground-based campaign that will take place in Inuvik, NT in January 2026. Cloud properties and precipitation rates will be related to atmospheric conditions such as temperature and moisture. The expected outcomes will be an improved understanding of the conditions that lead to clouds and snowfall in this understudied season of the Arctic.