On the climatic relevancy of Arctic Haze: static energy balance considerations

Optical properties of Arctic Haze are known only roughly, but seem to be bracketed in the following ranges: optical depth, 0.1 to 0.5; haze asymmetry factor, 0.6 to 0.7; albedo of single scattering, 0.8 to 0.98. On the basis of these numbers, simple static energy balance considerations suggest that the light-absorbing haze over the northern reflecting ice cap creates an earth atmosphere warming of 0.1 to 1.0°C in comparison to a hypothetical haze-free Arctic. Before elaborate climatic models can be run with such meaning, the optical properties of the Arctic Haze, its geographical extent and seasonal variation have to be determined more accurately.