NONMETHANE HYDROCARBONS IN THE ARCTIC ATMOSPHERE AT BARROW, ALASKA

C2-C8 non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHCs) were detected in the arctic atmosphere at Barrow, Alaska, during seven sampling periods in March 1989. The most prominent NMHCs were ethene, acetylene, ethane, propane and benzene. The concentrations and distribution of these species were similar to those observed at the same location in 1982 and in the Norwegian Arctic in 1983. The distribution of NMHCs in background arctic air during this period was similar to that of aged urban air. These findings provide additional evidence that NMHCs in the arctic atmosphere during spring may originate from industrialized mid-latitude regions and contribute to the arctic haze phenomenon.