Arctic haze

Layers of brownish haze visible above the horizon. This phenomenon occurs regularly in spring in high latitudes (above 70N). It is the result of transport of droplets produced by volcanoes, dust storms and anthropogenic pollution from outside the Arctic – mainly from Europe, Asia and North America. Unlike regular smog in lower latitudes, arctic haze lasts much longer, up to weeks. Particles falling on ice and snow surface cause a positive feedback loop; it results in albedo reduction and increase in energy balance. Among other things, for this reason, climate change in the Arctic has been extremely fast in recent years.